Princess of Konoha
by BloodRed13
Summary: AU fanfic: She was the most striking beauty he'd ever seen. Strong, cold, and standoffish. But she'd acknowledged his existence. And he wanted her to do it again…
1. Matsuri

**AN:** Okay, so this is a collaboration with KageJames (my twin) and myself. We've been working on this for awhile and hope you like it. That said, this is one of two collaborations, the second of which to be posted in the fall on KJ's account. This will be a trilogy, however, the first book is about half way written so expect regular updates (every Monday because we need a reason to look forward to Monday). That said, I am still working on my other multi-chapter story, I just needed to take another break because it wasn't going where I thought it should go. On that note, I expect it to be finished by the end of the summer (but I've made a lot of promises so take that with a grain of salt). Anyway, if you like what you read, feel free to read my other work (DBZ fic) or KJ's work (HP fic)._  
_

**PS** - We don't own Naruto or anything related to it. If we did it would still be an anime called Naruto instead of this thing that they're calling Sasuke.

**PPS** - There's going to be a lot of Japanese in this fic so here's a list of words you should know (and remember) before you get right in:

_ Matsuri_ – festival

_ Kimono_ – Japanese formal robes (see extended culture corner for more)

_ Yakitori, Origiri and Dango_ – all Japanese foods, fried chicken (not country fried people…), rice balls, and popular dessert

_ Temee/temeera_ – 'you' (jerk) / plural form of temee (people typically write it teme)

_ Yotsugi and Reishi_ – both ways to say heir (Reishi means 'my heir' and makes sense when you're reading it)

_ Jiji – _slang for grandfather

_ Otou-sama_ – formal way of saying father (extended culture corner)

_ Kaa-san_ – mother

_ Ji-san_ – uncle

* * *

_She was the most striking beauty he'd ever seen. Strong, cold, and standoffish. But she'd acknowledged his existence. And he wanted her to do it again…_

* * *

**Princess of Konoha**

_Prologue: Matsuri __**「**__**祭り」**_

Laughter bubbled in the air along with the short sharp crackle of handheld firecrackers mixing with the variety of colored lights all around Naruto. It would look even better at night, he was sure of it. Children younger and older than him ran all along the crowded streets of Konoha. Their laughter and joy mixing with the rest. Naruto was momentarily distracted by the decorative pinwheels several of the passing children had spinning in their hands. Its colorful ribbons an enchanting sight for the young boy. Another group of children passed by moving from street vender to street vender or stopping for a little while at a puppet theater.

Naruto hadn't gotten around to visiting any of the puppet shows just yet. Nor had he spent the time to figure out which of the street venders was giving away toys. But he had time. From what Naruto had heard of the festival, this was just the prelude to all of the real excitement. The festivities would get bigger and louder to the point that all of Konoha would be involved. He knew the last to be a fact as he'd been able to enjoy some of the festivities at its height while he was still stuck at the orphanage.

Two young girls that Naruto had seen in the park before passed him. They were holding pretty fans and new toys, wearing nice looking kimonos. In fact, everyone seemed to be in their kimonos today. Naruto looked down at his plain white t-shirt and worn blue pants he'd had to cut to fit him, maybe he should have tried to find one as well.

The sound of the pinked haired girl, cherry blossoms running the length of her pink kimono, brought Naruto back to focus.

"Come on Ino-chan…" she whined as she grabbed a hold of her blonde haired friend. "We have to get good seats for the fireworks."

"Alright Sakura-chan," the blonde, Ino apparently, conceded as she allowed her pink haired friend to pull her along. Her blue flower petal print kimono was just as pretty as her friend's pink one. For a moment Naruto felt envious of their colorful garb.

"My, my, don't you girls look lovely?" A nearby vendor stopped the two girls as they passed.

"Thank you Ji-san my mother bought it just for today," Sakura replied as she twirled around in her kimono, short pink hair flowing freely in the wind.

"So did mine," Ino replied, not to be out done she twirled around just a touch faster than her pink haired companion and nearly stumbled into the old street vendor from the dizzy spell it caused.

"Then before you go, why not have a snack too," the old man replied as he bent over to give the young girls each a yakitori nearly as big as their heads.

"Thanks Ji-san!" the girls replied together before wandering off in a fit of giggles.

"You two have fun!" the old man yelled out to their retreating forms, a small smile on his face.

Naruto's own stomach growled loudly and his mouth began to water at the smell of the yummy food. He'd been watching this particular vendor long enough to know he'd been handing out food to other children running around as well. Naruto had already passed up several other vendors who only gave extras to paying customers. He'd been just about to give up on finding a vendor actually _giving _away some of his food figuring it has been something the other orphans had made up as they'd been known to do. But Naruto was glad he'd kept looking because he'd finally found one. This was his best chance.

Naruto slipped from out of the shadows as the two girls disappeared in the crowd. "Hey Ji-san!" Naruto called out to the vendor.

"What do _you_ want?" the old man spat, venom lacing his words.

"Ah… I saw you giving away yakitori. Can I have some too?" Naruto asked only mildly hesitant at the less than warm reception he'd received.

"I'm not giving away my goods to something like _you_. Get out of here before I call the police," the old man threatened, his left hand coming up to form a fist as if he might use it to further ward off Naruto.

"But it's my birthday…" Naruto trailed off in disappointment.

The vendor turned his back on Naruto and moved his cart down the street.

"Temee…" Naruto whispered to himself. Still, he knew how to handle temeera like him. At least he'd asked first. Jiji couldn't get mad at that…

* * *

Naruto's laughter could be heard echoing off the alley walls. His voice coming from every direction and no direction all at once.

He sunk into the shadows as two shinobi ran passed him. They would be following echoes for a while, certainly long enough for Naruto to disappear. Once they had gone far enough away for Naruto to leave his hiding place, he moved on in the opposite direction. His stomach growling as he walked. At least he'd found a solution for his growling stomach.

* * *

The golden rays of the fading sun shone brightly through her open window. The orange and red tints painting her pale surroundings a multitude of hues. If she took a moment to focus she could just barely make out the faint buzz of the festivals activities happening in the distance. Hinata stood absolutely still as Mizumi-san finished tying the pale lavender obi of her dress kimono. While she was released early from her modified lessons to prepare for the yearly festival roaring just in the distance, she did not expect to attend any of the events. Well, that is expect for one, the most important event. The Hyuuga parade and the fireworks that followed it.

Despite the fact that she would most definitely be missing out on the largest, most important festival of the year, she was not sad or disappointed. No Hyuuga, let alone the Yotsugi, ever felt sadness or disappointment. At least if they did, they never let it show. Those were simply emotions better left expressed by the common members of their great village. Definitely unfit for any Hyuuga to express, a fact that was doubly so for her, the Yotsugi.

This was just the way things were. Since her earliest memory, her life had always been this way, spent not so much in seclusion, but surrounded by family, the clan. They were the Hyuuga, proud, strong and the single most important family in the village. So no, she wasn't sad that she'd never once participated in the festivities that she could hear softly in the distance. How could she wish for something that she'd never once experience?

Lost in her own thoughts Hinata almost missed the soft cadence of one of her newest retainers. "Yotsugi-dono, I have finished preparing you for the festival," Mizumi-san announced, head bowed in deference as she spoke.

"Thank you Mizumi-san. You are dismissed," Hinata spoke gently yet firmly, just as Otou-sama had taught her. The Yotsugi should never sound meek or submissive after all. Generally speaking, there wasn't a lot of room for that type of behavior within the clan itself.

Mizumi-san bowed again as she slowly backed out of the room never once turning her back to Hinata. She was nice enough, but she was no Tatsuki-san. As she was quickly finding out, there were few people like Tatsuki-san.

Turning to face her one window, Hinata fought the urge to sigh. Despite the fact that no one was currently with her, she refrained from losing control of her emotions. She may not be able to see anyone watching, but that didn't mean she was truly alone. She'd made that mistake only once. She didn't plan on making it again. As Otou-sama always said, behave as if someone is watching because someone always is.

Hinata stared out her window as she waited. She wasn't entirely sure how long she'd have to wait this time, but that didn't faze her. Despite her young age, she had already learned to be patient. That had been the first important lesson her Otou-sama had taught her. While he often made her wait to test that lesson in patience, he wasn't above making her wait as a punishment, a factor that was heavily depended on his mood.

However, given the fact that she'd finally seen past the five hundred meter mark today with her Byakugan, he was probably in a pretty good mood. Of course they'd skipped the majority of her regular lessons to focus on her Byakugan training, so maybe he hadn't been all that impressed with something she was bound to get right today anyway.

Either way, she didn't bother herself by worrying over the wait. Her Otou-sama would come get her eventually. It wasn't like she could miss the festival completely. She had a fairly important part to play today.

"Reishi, it is time for us to depart," Otou-sama said immediately, not wasting any time after opening the door to her room. Pleasantries were reserved for civilian diplomats only.

Hinata turned without speaking, as a response to his simple statement would have been seen as extraneous, useless chatter, and followed in the shadow of her Otou-sama as he headed down the corridor. Slightly behind and to the right of the man, she held her head high. She was more than ready to take her place beside Otou-sama on the main platform.

"Remember what I have taught you," he began without so much as a glance her way as they approached the raised platform together. "Use your chakra to stay standing. You are Reishi. You will stand tall beside me," he continued as they stepped onto the dais.

Determined, she took her place in front of him. Today was her day. She was the one on display. 'I will not disappoint you Otou-sama,' she thought as several branch members began to raise the platform. She stood tall and unmoving, head held high because she was smart enough to read between the lines. Should she fail in this simple task, then tomorrow would be another long day. And she really did want a chance to play in the gardens with Kaa-san tomorrow.

* * *

Naruto settled down as he walked to the quieter districts. He was glad the Hyuuga-san hadn't been after him today. While he had quickly perfected how to escape regular ninja, he'd yet to figure out how to fool them. For whatever reason, they always seemed to catch him. Still, Naruto was optimistic. There had been a moment the last time he'd been running from the Hyuuga-san that he could have sworn they'd not seen him. He had no doubt he'd get it eventually. He was definitely on to something.

Naruto shook his head for that was for a later time. For now, he was simply glad they were too busy with the big parade preparations. At least he thought they were. Naruto couldn't be sure, but the other orphans had said they were the biggest part of the parade. So, he supposed that meant they would be in it.

The Hyuuga were the biggest clan in the village, so that kind of meant they had to be, right? Today was, after all, the celebration of all celebration. The defeat of the nine-tail beast, the Kyuubi, by the Yondaime. He knew the story well. What kid didn't? The Yondaime sacrificing his life to defeat that vile beast, it was just too amazing and heroic to forget. So, today Konoha celebrated, both the life of the Yondaime and the defeat of the tailed beast.

This would be the sixth annual celebration, and strangely enough, it was also Naruto's sixth birthday. Despite the fact that this celebration had been happening for six straight years, the duration of his entire life, Naruto had never before been allowed to participate. His handlers at the orphanage had never allowed it. But now, he was on his way to becoming a Konoha ninja. He was far too old and responsible to be living in an orphanage.

So he was excited, more than excited. Naruto might have to miss the majority of the festival because of his earlier food misunderstanding, but he'd at least get to see the parade and the fireworks. Even if that was the only event he'd be able to see, he was more than glad to be seeing it.

Naruto's stomach growled again reminding him of how hungry he was. Plopping down under a nearby tree he unwrapped his score. Four yakitori that the old man had just been giving away, along with several onigiri and sticky dango on sticks, it was a feast like none he'd ever seen.

Despite being glad to be out of the orphanage, Naruto hadn't realized how hard it would be for the future greatest shinobi of Konoha to find food. He didn't like stealing, but this wasn't really stealing. The man was giving most of it away, anyway. So, Naruto was just taking his share along with the additional price for being a jerk. It wasn't like he was going to do this again or anything like that.

Naruto nodded his head at his own pep talk as he took a large bite of one of his sticky dango sticks. Normally he'd have gone to the back of a restaurant. They always throw away perfectly good food. Still, today was different. He was six, and today would be the first time he'd get to see the fireworks out in the open. It was a special day, and special days required something as equally special to go along with it.

Besides, the village was celebrating. While the celebration around him wasn't really his, he couldn't help but feel that the fireworks, the puppet shows, the paper dragon kites, and the food venders were all for him. The whole village was celebrating the birth of the greatest shinobi. They were even throwing him a _parade_!

However, this wasn't just _any _parade! Naruto had heard stories from the other children in the orphanage how amazing this parade was. This parade was to be like no other. The strongest clan of Konoha would march throughout the city in a special re-enactment of the defeat of the Kyuubi. One of the older kids had even said there was a _princess_ involved. But Naruto didn't believe it. Everyone knew Konoha didn't have kings, so there couldn't be any princesses either.

Whatever the truth Naruto couldn't wait to find out for himself. With that thought, he quickly finished the last of his food. Jiji was always going on about not littering, so Naruto gathered his wrappers and stuffed them in his pockets. Hopefully, this time he'd remember to throw them away.

Naruto looked around at the quiet district. He wasn't sure where he was in the village. While he had made sure to not go in the direction of the Uchiha compound, those guys were really mean, he wasn't entirely sure he was safe and out of hot water, whatever that meant anyway. Looking around again he could only hope that while he wasn't quite sure where he was, he would at least be able to see the parade in relative peace from here…

Finally, Naruto spotted a pretty tall tree and walked towards it. While it wasn't his first choice for parade watching spots, it would have to work. He'd really wanted to watch from the Hokage Mountain, but the Anbu guarding the entrance wouldn't let him up. Something about no one allowed because Jiji was giving his big boring speech there. Okay, so Inu-san hadn't said boring, but he'd said speech, and _all_ speeches were boring, everyone knew that. He felt pretty certain about that given the fact that he'd fallen asleep to enough of them, especially Jiji's speeches.

All of that together meant this fine tree was going to have to be the best spot now. It was pretty nice. Naruto didn't have to worry about the villagers getting too drunk out here. Besides, the quieter districts were always safest during festivals. Well, they were in other festivals, _and_ as long as he wasn't near the Uchiha district, he'd be fine. Naruto still thought they were overly sensitive about their underwear…

Anyway, this could be his spot. He could see the fireworks from here, and surely the parade would come around here. Those were the best parts of this festival. Not the cool games, and free toys. Or the shadow puppets among the many street theaters. All of those were for _babies_, and Naruto was _not_ a baby. Besides, he was too cool for all of those things anyway. Yeah, the greatest shinobi of Konoha only liked the_ fireworks_!

So, that way even if the parade didn't come this way, Naruto wouldn't be disappointed because great future shinobis like himself only really cared about the fireworks! Next year he could figure out the parade path, so they could have the pleasure of the greatest shinobi to ever be born. For the parade, of course.

As Naruto settled down into the tall tree, he was startled when the large wooden doors to the gate across from him open up. Curiously, Naruto hopped down to get a better look. Had a whole clan forgotten to go to the festival? He'd figure all the people would be down in the village waiting for the parade.

Naruto looked to the right and left. He wasn't even sure how far the walls went. "Wow!" Naruto could see through the doors to a large compound beyond. It looked like a mini-village within the village. But it wasn't the mini-village that stole his attention. "The parade!" Naruto jumped up and down happily as he watched the parade form right before his eyes. He bet no one got to see this!

This large group of people, no _Hyuuga_, began marching straight at him. They could be nothing other than the parade! And at the head of the parade was the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen. Standing taller than the trees, she was like the moonlight alone in her glory with her long hair flowing in the wind. For a moment, Naruto thought she saw him, but then he was pulled back and out of the way of the incoming parade.

"Kid shouldn't you be down in the village square?"

Naruto looked up at the Hyuuga policeman as he set him back down by Naruto's big tree. "Hyuuga-san… who's that?" he asked not caring about anything else.

"The first one out of the compound and the last one to the village square. Yotsugi-dono is our future."

Naruto didn't know what 'Yotsugi' meant, but he did know that 'dono' was for Lords and Ladies. He couldn't believe it. Daiji was right! There was a Princess in the parade, and she was Konoha's Princess. "She's the Princess of Konoha…" Naruto replied in awe. It was official. This was the best birthday _ever_!

* * *

**_KJ's Japanese Corner_**, the super awesome cultural additions to indoc… enlighten you about the Japanese culture.

(1) Ji-san or Jii-san? You've probably seen these two a lot in reading anime fanfiction (these and baa versus ba). Unless you've taken Japanese or bothered to look them up, the two very similar words could look like a mistake (damn you English!). However, there is a difference. Ji-san means uncle, while Jii-san means grandpa. The same is true for Ba-san (aunt) versus Baa-san (grandma), which is why Tsunade was unset with Naruto (in manga and anime) for calling her Baa-san.

(2) Temee and temeera. Temee is just a coarse way of saying 'you'. Fanfictions uses teme(e) (never really seen it with the proper spelling) a little too lightly (to the point to where it doesn't really make sense). Because of my love of Japanese, I refused to use this word inappropriately. Therefore, there will be no Sasuke-teme. Instead, will be using –me, which is a proper honorific that kinda has the same meaning as fanfiction what's it to have (some liberties applied…). Temeera is just the plural form of temee.

(3) Yotsugi, Koushi (not mentioned yet), or Reishi? Why the hell did we chose three different words that all kind of mean the same? Yotsugi and Koushi both mean heir or successor, while Reishi means my (technically your/his) heir. So, only Hiashi calls Hinata Reishi. Now what the hell is different about Yotsugi and Koushi? The kanji (Chinese characters). Yotsugi literally means world's heir (by the kanji), while Koushi means next heir (loose interpretation of kanji so it makes sense to us Americans). The two words are used by different groups to mean different things. The Hyuuga hold their heir as everything and thus use Yotsugi, while everyone else will use Koushi. You can read into it as much as you like, because we sure took the time to make it have extra meaning.

….

_Extended culture corner_ (because there's never enough learning going on)

1.2) Otou-sama versus Otou-san versus Tou-san (etc). Out of the three of these (yes there are more ways to say the same thing), Tou-san is the less formal. You add an 'o' to it and it becomes formal. No one really says Otou-sama anymore though (expect for one of my buddies, but that's a whole other story). Given the time period we're going for in this story, however, it is very likely that Hinata would address her father as 'Otou-sama'. The extra formality seems appropriate. (Note all this can apply to mother as well.)

4) The matsuri (festival) and kimono. Kimonos are really only worn during festivals these days, but not everyone wears them (as in women/girls are more likely to wear kimonos to festivals than guys, not really sure why).


	2. There's a clan for that? – Uzumaki Clan

**AN: **Okay, so now for the main story. As a reminder this is a co-authored fic by my twin (_**KageJames**_) and me. All new Japanese words will be at the top (here) and a neat little culture corner will be at the bottom. While you may not like looking at Japanese words, they are there for a reason so we will not be taking them out of this fic. Anyway, please read and enjoy.

**PS** - We don't own Naruto and we sadly make no money by writing this fic. Also, Monday's will be the official chapter update time.

**PPS** - The Japanese words for this chapter are as follows:

Hai – formal yes, (can also mean yes sir, yes ma'am)

Sensei – teacher (this is used as both standalone name as well as an honorific)

Hime – princess (we'll mostly use this as an honorific as Konoha no Hime would be a bit too much)

Koushi – heir (see culture corner in the prologue for more info)

Dono – lord (while not an honorific used currently, it fits from a historical prospective)

Inu – dog (Kakashi's Anbu mask/codename)

Ba-san – aunt (see culture corner in prologue for more info)

Shodai/Shodaime, Sandai/Sandaime, and Yondaime – these are the numerical titles for each Kage, the First, the Third and the Fourth respectively

Shimatta – Japanese curse word (often translated as shit)

* * *

_**Arc – Uzumaki Legacy**_

_Chapter One – There's a clan for that? – Uzumaki Clan_

The sun's brilliant rays slowly gained dominance as it rose higher and higher in the blindingly blue sky. Its powerful light filtered through white fluffy clouds on this unseasonably warm spring morning. It was late enough that the sun glared down from its high perch in the air. The tall trees of Konoha soaking up its powerful emissions as blue birds and black birds and birds of all colors fluttered amongst leaves and shadows. Their cheerful, sweet songs taunted Naruto as he stared longingly at them from the confines of his classroom.

They looked like they were having so much fun. Flying where they wanted to and singing the day way. Not stuck in a stuffy classroom trying to get through another mind-numbing lecture. The window was a doorway to another world that he desperately wished he could escape to, leaving behind the droning words of his boring Sensei. What was so interesting about history anyway? How was the Second Shinobi War supposed to make him a better ninja?

It wasn't as if he was going to gain anything from Sensei's lecture anyway. The books they gave him were often larger than everyone else's. The print was small and the words really hard to understand. And it wasn't like he could ask questions. No, he'd tried that before and he wasn't in a rush to repeat the experience.

All his curiosity had earned him was embarrassment as he'd been reduced to the butt end of a joke. He still wasn't entirely sure what was so funny that caused both his Sensei _and_ his classmates to burst out into laughter. Not that the laughter had hurt him or anything. He was going to be a _great_ shinobi. No, not _just_ great, he was going to be one of the _best_! Little things like that didn't even faze him. So what if he didn't understand everything right away. He was still going to be the most _kickass_ ninja in the village!

Naruto sighed as he watched the birds flutter outside his window. Four years in the academy and she still wasn't here. He'd waited four years, hoping that he'd get to see her again. Up close this time so they'd have a chance to talk. Naruto was sure if they ever got that chance then they would be the _best_ of friends.

While he'd heard in passing that the Hyuuga's always entered the academy late, he'd secretly hoped that they were wrong. However, this year was the last one for new additions. This was it. Everyone knew you had to have at least two years of academy training.

'Maybe she's not coming. Maybe she doesn't want to be a ninja,' he thought with a disappointed sigh. 'No, that's not right. She's the Princess of _Konoha_! She has to be a ninja, a_ great_ kunoichi!' he cheered himself up. There just wasn't a way for her _not_ to be a ninja. Not in Konoha.

'I suppose a Princess would have private tutors,' he thought as he traced the path of a particularly vibrant red bird. 'Ah man. She's probably learning really cool jutsu right now and all I'm learning is stupid Konoha history,' he pouted, head in hand as he continued to ignore the lecture from the front of the classroom. 'I'm already falling _behind_!'

Naruto leaned back in his chair as Sensei continued to drone on at the front of the classroom. He wasn't entirely sure what they were supposed to be learning and frankly he didn't really care. Heck, he hadn't even bothered to remember his Sensei's _name_, and he'd had the man for months now. It wasn't as if it mattered anyway. That man was just like the last one, and the one before that and the one before him. They were all the same, and he really didn't expect _that_ to change anytime soon.

While Naruto wasn't entirely sure, he thought they were supposed to be going over clans today. At least, he thought it was something like that. Again, he didn't really care. If he wanted to learn about clans he'd challenge Shikamaru to a game of shogi and ask him then. Or better yet punch Sasuke in the face. That one always got him going. Of course then he'd never hear the end of it.

It would be 'my clan this' and 'my clan that' and of course Sakura or Ino or one of the other girls in class would feel the need to add something or another to it. Heck, he could just as easily do a prank with Kiba-kun and ask _him_ about them. It would save Naruto the trouble with Sasuke at the very least. In the end, there was really no need to go over them in class.

"…the Hyuuga…"

Naruto snapped his attention back to Sensei at the front of the classroom at the sound of the familiar name.

"As we all have heard before, the Hyuuga are one of the three original founders of our village…"

"While getting the Uchiha to join the village had been a relatively easy task for Senju Hashirama, who later became the Shodai Hokage. The legendary blood feud between the Senju and the Hyuuga clans, however, made the second task of getting the honorable Hyuuga clan to join his alliance difficult. It is said that the Shodaime befriended Hyuuga Hanza, the leader to the Hyuuga clan, as a child which greatly aided with the alliance process."

"What was the feud about?" Kiba-kun asked Sensei. Naruto leaned forward in his seat. He was curious too. He'd always thought the Hyuugas had willingly joined Konoha.

"Good question, Inuzuka-san. The Senju and Hyuuga clans were often hired by opposing factions to counterbalance the other. You must remember, this was the time of the warring states before ninja villages existed as we know them today. So, there was great blood between the two clans."

Sensei paused to let his information sink in. Naruto had to give him credit, sometimes he made the lectures pretty interesting. "To an average person, it seemed like an impossible task to unite the two clans to form the new hidden village. While not impossible for our great Shodaime, it was not an easy route. It took years of fighting, before Hanza-dono and the Shodaime could come to a truce. Still, Hanza-dono would not agree to join the Shodaime in his attempt to build a village. Only after years of treating the Hyuuga with respect and fairness, was he finally able to convince them to join the Senju in forming the new hidden village. Now class, can anyone tell me the terms of the treaty?"

Naruto watched as Sakura shot her hand up into the air.

"Yes, Haruno-san," Sensei acknowledged her with a nod.

"The Hyuuga clan were given the police force, in exchange for never having one of their clan members become the Hokage," she answered with a smug smile on her face. Naruto frowned, he had never been a big fan of her 'I'm better than you because I know it all' attitude.

"That is correct Haruno-san. I see at least some of you are doing your assigned readings," he continued with a pointed look in Naruto's direction. This of course garnered a rather loud round of laughter from the class. They all knew who that comment was aimed at. "Alright class, settle down. Now, as Haruno-san has excellently stated the Hyuuga clan was given the exclusive right to maintain and control the police force that keeps watch over our great village, in exchange for never having a Hyuuga as Hokage."

Sensei paused here to give the class a mischievous look. "They have since grown to becoming the most prominent clan within the Hidden Village of the Leaf while the Senju have become all but extinct, so I think it's safe to say they didn't get the raw end of that bargain. In fact, the Koushi is considered the third highest ranking member of the village, right behind her father and the Hokage."

"Wait, what's a Koushi?" Naruto loudly interrupted Sensei. He was too interested in anything and everything that had to do with the Princess of Konoha to care if the class continued to make fun of him.

"The Hyuuga heir you idiot!" Sakura yelled with a sarcastic roll of her eyes.

"Huh?" came Naruto's first response, earning a small round of chuckles from nearby classmates. It took another minute to think in circles, the third highest ranking member, right behind Jiji and her dad… that could only be…"You mean the Princess of Konoha!" he shouted in glee. Finally, something _he_ knew.

The room was silent as everyone took a moment to stare at Naruto. "You're actually kind of slow in the head," Sensei replied, breaking the silence of the room. "But, I guess the Hyuuga heiress could be considered that, in a _very _roundabout way."

"Dude, how do you mess that up?" Kiba-kun questioned loudly. "She's like the most important kid in the village. Even _you_ should know who she is."

"Of course I know who she is! She the _Princess of Konoha_! And I'm going to be her _best_ friend when she finally gets here! Believe it!" Naruto stated self-assuredly.

"You!? The dead last!?" Sensei exclaimed, whether it was from shock or disbelief Naruto wasn't sure.

After a beat, the entire room burst into a fit of laughter. Some laughed so hard that they toppled over in their seats.

"You'd have better luck becoming Hokage," Sasuke added in between peals of laughter causing the class to laugh even harder.

"I _will_ be her best friend, believe it! Even if I have to become the Hokage to do it! I'll never give up because that's my nindo, my ninja way!" Naruto declared, not at all fazed by their laughter. If he was going to succeed in his goal, he'd need to handle a heck of a lot more than their laughter.

"Enough of this Uzumaki. You are dismissed from class for disruption."

"What? I only asked a question!"

"It was a stupid question and completely disruptive to the learning environment. Now out so that serious students can learn."

With a huff Naruto slowly rose from his seat before walking out of the classroom. 'Temee…' he thought as he closed the door behind him.

He knew how to handle temeera even if it was a whole class worth of them.

* * *

Naruto had patience for only two things, waiting for the Princess of Konoha to finally join the Academy so he could befriend her, and waiting for the perfect time to pull off a prank. Not even the three-minute wait for instant ramen garnered this type of patience. Thus sitting quietly in the shadows waiting for his class to break for lunch and for Sensei to leave was a surprisingly easy feat for him to accomplish.

Hiding in the shadow of one of his favorite trees, Naruto did one more spot check of his materials. Camouflage paper, ninja wire, flour, glue, he silently wished that there was another way to carry all the things he needed for a good prank. He hated being limited by the size of his small knapsack.

Only partially distracted by his thoughts, Naruto's wait seemed to go by quickly. It also probably helped that he'd been kicked out just prior to the lunch break. He watched as his classmates rushed from the classroom, some faster than others, and counted each one as they left. With every student safely outside he stood still. It was a rookie mistake to forget about master pranking rule number twenty-five and not wait for every last person to vacate the area. That most definitely included Sensei, so Naruto waited because he was well past the rookie stage.

Finally his patience paid off as he tracked his Sensei's exit. Hopping down from his perch, Naruto stealthily made his way to the empty classroom only pausing once to look back at the playing children. While he'd rather be right beside them playing outside, some things were just too important. So, Naruto turned his attention back to the task at hand.

Sneaking into the empty classroom was too easy. He was actually a little disappointed. He'd had a harder time pranking the Uchiha compound. Now, _they_ couldn't take a joke.

Once safely inside, Naruto gave the room a quick once over from the shadows. No one left and no one near the windows. He smiled at his good fortune as he silently made his way to Sensei's desk. Running his hand over the desk and chair, Naruto searched for the familiar alarm.

'Oh, there it is,' he thought with glee as he quickly disabled the trip alarm his Senseis had started putting on their desks years ago. Sensei really should have used a harder one. Naruto had figured a way around this one at the start of the new class year.

Alarm disabled Naruto got to work on his desk trap first. A simple wire lever trap attached to the desk drawer, subtle enough to go unnoticed in most situations. It was bound to be activated based on its location, but as master pranking rule number fourteen stated: never leave anything to chance. He needed to make sure his trap would be triggered.

Spotting Sensei's lecture notes on the top of the desk, Naruto quickly moved them inside the desk drawer. 'Now Sensei will have to open his desk to start class,' he thought as he moved on to rig the rest of the trap.

Wire trigger in place, Naruto set up his ceiling trap using his custom dyed camouflage paper, taking the extra time to make sure it would be impossible to detect. The thirty long minutes it took to set up was well worth the satisfaction of having it look just the way he liked it.

Soon the sound of returning students filled the air, signaling the limited time he had left. Hastily, he added a glue rig to the seat of Sensei's chair. It was a classic, but more importantly it was blaringly obvious that it was attached to Sensei's desk drawer. With any luck, it would distract Sensei from the real trap.

Snickering quietly to himself, Naruto hopped out the window to get a good seat to watch the show.

* * *

Perched at the top of the tree directly across from the window to his classroom, Naruto leant forward to watch his prank in action. As the unsuspecting class filled the room, Naruto kept his eyes on Sensei. As expected the man that had been 'teaching' him for the last few months spotted the obvious seat trap. With the glue safely removed from his chair, Naruto watched a smug smile cross his face. Still completely unaware of the real trap that awaited him and the entire class, Naruto smiled. This was going to be good.

Naruto watched with baited breath as Sensei started looking for his lecture notes. 'Sorry Sensei, you're not going to find them there,' Naruto thought as he watched the man search the top of his desk. 'Now, look inside of your desk,' he added silently.

As if responding to a direct command, Sensei reached for his desk drawer and opened it. For a split second nothing happened, and then… _boom_! All hell broke loose as flour poured down onto everyone and everything.

Breaking out into laughter, Naruto enjoyed the fruits of his labor. Flour rained down on the entire classroom like the winter snow he'd seen in theaters. Naruto easily ignored the fact that he'd snuck into said movie to see it as he continued to watch the calamity.

Everyone was covered in flour. Sasuke looked like a grumpy ghost, the flour making his outfit finally match his hauntingly pale skin as he glared out across the room, clearly unsure of who to place his heated glare on without Naruto in the area. Sakura's unfortunate coloring made her look like a fluff pastry, all shades of pink and white. In desperation, she tried to shake the white powder from her hair, but it only ended up weaving deeper into the confines of the pink strands.

Some of the other girls outright screamed about the flour getting in their beautifully done hair. Kiba-kun ended up in an uncontrollable sneezing fit while Choji-san had given up getting the flour out of his bag of chips and simply opened a new one. Only Shikamaru-san and Shino-san failed to react to his cleverly designed prank. He'd have to think of something even more spectacular to get a reaction out of those two. Challenge accepted.

And best of all was the interesting shade of red that his Sensei was turning. It was a real shame all he had room to bring was flour. This prank would have been ten times better if he'd had feathers and honey too.

Conjuring up an image of a feather covered Sensei, Naruto burst out in another round of laughter. He would have to find some way to make that happen.

"UZUMAKI NARUTO!" Sensei screamed at the top of his lungs, jarring Naruto from his laughing fit.

"Oops," he gulped. He'd made a rookie mistake. He'd completely forgotten about master pranking rule number twenty-one. He'd stayed too long.

Turning on his heels, Naruto bolted from his perch. While he had a head start, he wasn't about to take that for granted. Sensei wouldn't be that far behind, and he wasn't _that_ fast. Making his way past building after building, Naruto ran his favorite getaway path. With a right, then a left, followed by another right, and a left, he made his way to downtown Konoha. Dodging civilians and street vendors alike, he found himself in the busiest part of the city, the perfect place for losing arrogant Senseis.

"Hey, watch it!" someone hollered as he ran past.

Ducking into another empty alleyway, Naruto couldn't help the bubble of laughter that escaped his lips. That prank was just too good, and now there was no way Sensei would catch up with him. Not with the size of the crowd he'd just woven his way through.

Entering the next street over, Naruto slowed his pace down to a walk, blending in to the hectic crowd surrounding him. All was right in the world that was until a sudden tug at the back of his shirt pulled him from his meandering thoughts, lifting him into the air and right into the gaze of two sets of pale eyes.

"Hyuuga-san… So, uh, nice to see you," Naruto greeted nervously looking around as they gently set him down without letting go of his shirt. They'd only made that mistake once. Man how he hated how quickly they learned.

"Uzumaki-san, shouldn't you be in class," questioned the Hyuuga that still had him in a vice grip.

"Well, you see. I was just on my way, so if you could…" he began pointing to the left as he edged towards the right. Visual misdirection was always a good tool to have in your mastery of escape arsenal.

Catching sight of his Sensei frantically searching for him out of the corner of his eye, Naruto silently cursed. He'd been spotted. This would have never happened if he'd gotten stopped by _anyone_ other than the Hyuuga police. Shimatta! They were just too easy to spot in a crowd.

Hyuuga-san and his partnered Hyuuga looked at him critically, before his grip tightened on his shirt.

"Perhaps we should escort you back there then Uzumaki-san, so you can escape any troubling situations with your Sensei," the other Hyuuga announced.

Naruto looked hastily at his Sensei making his way closer to him. He needed to lose the Hyuuga-sans and fast. "No, that's alright. I can make…"

"Uzumaki!" Sensei shouted interrupting him in the process of making his escape. Luckily for him, the interruption distracted the Hyuuga-san gripping his shirt enough for him to wiggle himself out of his grasp, allowing him to slip away and disappear into an adjacent alleyway. Naruto could just make out the rest of Sensei's words as he ran full blast in the opposite direct. "Stop him!"

Running, Naruto frantically searched his brain for a way to lose his Hyuuga tails. If he remembered correctly he had the perfect hiding place nearby, but he had to get to it first!

Ten more seconds and he was in the clear. It was at the right angle, the perfect angle that no matter what direction the Hyuugas came at him, they'd still miss him.

Five. Four. Three. Naruto was staring freedom in the eyes.

Two. Bang! Naruto fell backwards after running right into another body. What the…? Looking up Naruto came face to face with Weasel-san's mask. "Going somewhere, Uzumaki-san?" Weasel-san's soft voice asked.

Not anymore he wasn't…

* * *

"I'm telling you, Weasel-san. This isn't necessary," Naruto complained as he struggled in Weasel-san's grasp. "I'd have gone quietly!" he shouted as he was gently set down on the floor.

"That is highly unlikely Uzumaki-san," Weasel-san teased softly. "I have yet to see you do anything quietly."

Naruto looked around only to see the familiar sight of the secretary giving him the stink eye. He stuck his tongue out at her as a reply. "I still don't see why you had to take me to see Jiji," Naruto whined as he returned his attention to Weasel-san. "We could have kept this between us. Just you and me Weasel-san! Honest! I'd have done whatever you'd asked."

"If that's true Uzumaki-san, then please wait quietly for Hokage-sama to see you."

Naruto's face turned into a large pout at the request. That was the best he was likely to get from Weasel-san. Too bad it hadn't been Inu-san. Sometimes he'd let his actions slide…

"Wait here quietly, please Uzumaki-san. I would not like to have to retrieve you again."

"Hai, hai." Naruto relented as he plopped down on one of the chairs outside Jiji's office. There was no point in running now, he was good and caught.

In a swirl of leaves, Weasel-san disappeared leaving Naruto to practice his patience on something far less exciting than pranks, waiting on Jiji to lecture him. He failed at it, epically. Tapping his foot noisily for what felt like hours before he gave up and went to bother Jiji's secretary. "Hey Ba-san, when's Jiji going to be out? It's been like hours. Maybe I should go, since Jiji's so busy."

"Uzumaki-san you've been here for two minutes. The Hokage-sama will be out after he's done with his meeting. Go back over there and wait, and stop that insufferable tapping."

Naruto huffed in frustration before plopping back down into his seat. He had half a mind to start tapping again, at least that would give him something to do while he sat here aging, but he didn't bother. The secretary may not have liked him, but at least she tolerated his presence. There was no reason to change that, not even for a small reprieve from this unending boredom.

He sighed as he looked at the wall across from him. He couldn't even look out the window from this level. This was going to take _forever_. A life-time later, the Hokage's office door opened and a Hyuuga-san stepped out. "Ah, one more thing Hiashi-san."

The Hyuuga nodded in response before turning to his right. "Reishi, wait for me here," he ordered quietly to the unseen person behind him.

"Hai, Otou-sama," a female voice replied. Her voice was light, yet firm, but Naruto noticed neither quality as he was too disappointed at the prospect of his wait being extended.

Momentarily downtrodden when he realized he'd be sitting out here in the lobby longer, Naruto's melancholy did a complete one eighty when he finally noticed exactly who had walked out behind the stuffy looking Hyuuga-san. It was her! The _Princess of Konoha_!

She walked out of the door, then stood ramrod straight just to the right of it. Naruto jumped out of his seat in excitement. "Hiya! Where've you been? I thought you'd be at the Academy by now. Is that why you're here? To get into the Academy? That's so _cool_! I'll show you around all the cool places once you're there! You can sit next to me and, and…"

Naruto paused to take a breath and froze at the intensity of the Princess' gaze. He'd never had someone's full attention like this. More than that was the way she was looking at him as if expecting something from him. It left him feeling like he'd forgotten something or he was screwing this up. What did Jiji always say? Something about being polite and slowing down?

"Oh, sorry! I mean, sometimes I ask too many questions at once. It's so cool you're here though." Naruto responded sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head nervously.

"Forgive me, but you seem to have me at somewhat of a disadvantage," she spoke calmly while leveling her cool lavender stare at him. It was unnerving, but in a way he'd never experienced. Not angry, or uninterested, or even too superior to be bothered with him. Whatever it was, it left him with a good kind of anxious feeling.

"Huh?" he inquired, still unnerved by her heavy gaze and unable to form a more coherent thought. What was she even talking about with disadvantages?

"You seem to know who I am, however…" she began to elaborate, but by then Naruto had found his voice once more.

"Yup! You're the Princess of Konoha, Hyuuga-_hime_!" he interrupted jovially.

"I do not believe I have ever been addressed in that manner," she replied, completely unaffected by his interruption.

"Oh, really? That seems really disrespectful. I mean, there's no other way to address a _princess_! That's it! I'll have to make sure _everyone _knows the right way! Believe it!" Naruto declared, confused on why anyone would address a princess disrespectfully. Even _he_ knew how to behave in the presence of a princess. It was just common _sense_.

"While that is very kind of you to do, should I not know your name before you do this on my behalf?" she inquired politely, making Naruto feel ten different conflicting emotions at once. On the one hand he was elated that she seemed to approve of his new life goal, while on the other he was a little embarrassed that he'd forgotten to introduce himself. Jiji had told him over and over again to introduce himself before he just started talking.

"Oh! OH! I'm Uzumaki Naruto. Future greatest shinobi to ever live. Believe it!" he declared loudly before he remembered just who he was talking to. He winced in preparation. This was normally the part where people started to ridicule him.

"Oh? I was unaware that there were Uzumakis still residing within the village," she replied and while there was a slight lift to her left eyebrow there was no other change to her speech pattern or mood. The Princess wasn't angry with him. If anything, she was intrigued. Naruto was so stunned that not only was she still talking to him, but she wasn't angry with him at all that he almost missed her next words. "It is a pleasure to meet you Uzumaki-san." Hyuuga-hime bowed her head slightly in greeting.

Nearly falling over himself in his attempt to emulate her, Naruto bowed his head low. Awkwardly bent at the waist, he felt kind of weird. He'd never been bowed to before. He'd also never felt the need to bow to anyone before this either. "It's a pleasure to meet you too!" he called from his bent position, not entirely sure when he was supposed to rise.

"Uzumaki-san, you may rise now," the princess replied softly and Naruto could have sworn he saw the beginnings of a smile in her eyes as he hastily did as instructed.

"Oh, yeah. Thanks," he responded sheepishly. "So, uh. Are you joining the Academy now? Is that why you're here?"

"The ninja Academy?" Naruto nodded vigorously. "No, I will be continuing my education privately until the Genin exams." Naruto's face fell at her revelation.

"Oh." He added quietly. He had really been looking forward to having her in class with him.

"Perhaps we shall be placed on the same team," she continued and Naruto perked right back up at that. Smiling like crazy. While his previous hope had been dashed, he had something new to look forward to. Something even better than just having class with Hyuuga-hime.

"Hai! That would be _awesome_! You'll want me on your team too 'cause I'm the _best_!" Naruto shouted in excitement while flexing his arms. He had to make sure she knew he wasn't lying about being the best.

"I look forward to it then, Uzumaki-san," she replied just as calmly as she had before, but when Naruto looked up he _knew_ he saw the remnants of a smile in her pale lavender eyes. Her face may have been just as neutral as before, but he knew _he_ had made her laugh. Well maybe not out loud, but that could change. 'I'm going to make you laugh one day, believe it,' he declared quietly to himself as he smiled brightly at her, completely undeterred by her stoic presence. He knew what was really beneath that cool exterior.

The door opened then capturing Hyuuga-hime's complete attention as the older Hyuuga-san walked out with Jiji in tow. Naruto was confused. Did he do something wrong?

"Think about it Hiashi-san. I think it would be beneficial to both the village and the Hyuuga's future."

"I have heard what you have to say Hokage-sama, but my answer is final. Good day," the older Hyuuga answered coldly as he continued down the corridor without pause. "Reishi, please move quickly we have much to do today."

Hyuuga-hime did not reply. She simply fell into place to the right and slightly behind who Naruto could only guess was her father. Naruto watched them go sadly. Man, he seemed kind of mean, and not just because he completely stole Hyuuga-hime's attention away from him. Naruto hoped his new best friend would be alright.

Naruto stared in that direction for a little while more as Jiji took a long drag from his pipe lost in thought. "Come Naruto-kun. I believe we have something to talk about, again."

With a shrug Naruto rubbed the back of his head as he followed Jiji into his office.

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen was far too old for this job. He knew it. He'd known it for some time now. It had been the original reason he'd stepped down more than ten years ago. Had everything gone as planned, had the Kyuubi not been released, then he'd still be enjoying his retirement. Happily playing grandfather to little Konohamaru-chan and possibly young Naruto-kun as well. But the fates had not been kind, and here he sat behind the very desk he'd once thought he'd escaped.

He really was too old for the job. And after conversations like the one he'd just endured moments ago, he was reminded of that very fact. Looking at the youth of Konoha, Hiruzen worried about the future of the village. Each new generation seemed to lose more and more of the burning will of fire. Each year a little bit more of the will of fire was forgotten. With Naruto-kun following closely on his heels, he could only hope that the son of the Yondaime could change that.

Hiruzen looked out at the Hokage Mountain. Minato what do you think of your son? This was not the first time Naruto-kun's actions had garnered his attention. His attention seeking pranks while funny were getting a little out of hand. The Hyuuga were beginning to complain about how hard it was becoming to catch the young prankster.

A part of Hiruzen was proud. It was not an easy feat to hide from the Hyuuga's all-seeing Byakugan. Still, Naruto-kun managed it. Hiruzen couldn't even make catching Naruto-kun a D ranked mission anymore. In truth, he'd long since given up trying to call it a D ranked mission as Genin teams had trouble catching the boy when he was only six. Now, at the rambunctious age of ten, even Chuunin were having problems tracking the young boy.

Of course, he could have just picked him up from the Academy the next day, however that would have given him a false sense of success. Hiruzen had already promised Naruto-kun that if he didn't get caught the day of, then he'd not see any punishment. Nevertheless, he couldn't let the boy think that outrunning Chuunin would be good enough in the long run. It would be doing a disservice to Naruto-kun's shinobi training. As it was, catching Naruto-kun was good training for the village as a whole, so he saw no real reason to come down on Naruto-kun hard enough to make him stop his antics altogether.

Still, he couldn't ignore the Hyuuga. More importantly, he didn't want to have to rely on his Anbu to catch the boy. They had better things to do then run after Naruto-kun. Whether he'd like to or not, he was going to have to curb Naruto-kun's pranks. Looking over at the rambunctious lad, Hiruzen modified his assessment. There was very little chance he'd actually manage to get Naruto-kun to curb his pranks, but at the very least he could find a way to curb the _frequency_ of them.

Hiruzen sighed heavily as he took another long drag on his pipe. How to approach this conversation? The Sandai Hokage turned around to face the music. He could no longer put off this conversation, no matter how many times he'd given it to Naruto-kun. Maybe this time it would stick.

Before the Hokage could begin his lecture, Naruto-kun interrupted him. "I know, I know Jiji. No more pranking. Be good. Study hard and stop fooling around in class and out of it. Time to be a serious shinobi. I got it Jiji. Now on to the cool stuff!"

Hiruzen glanced over at Naruto-kun, a raised eyebrow denoting his skepticism before moving on to the subject that had garnered his attention. "Cool stuff?" he inquired as he took another deep inhale from his pipe.

"Yeah," Naruto-kun nodded his head vigorously. "There's an _Uzumaki_ clan! Are there any more left in the village? Where are they from? Do you know any personally? When can I meet them?" he fired off in rapid succession. Typical Naruto-kun antics.

"The Uzumaki clan?" Hiruzen sat down as he considered the question. "They were a very knowledgeable and powerful clan, but I thought they went over them during the Clans lecture in the academy."

"The Clans lecture?" Naruto-kun put his hand under his chin in thought. "Yeah, I think that was the one for today, but the Uzumaki clan wasn't even mentioned. I've not even heard of them before. Do I have _family_?" Naruto-kun looked up hopefully. Hiruzen hated to disappoint him, but maybe this could be a good teaching moment.

"Are you sure you weren't daydreaming, Naruto-kun?" the Sandaime replied playfully as he took another smoke of his pipe.

"Nah, nah Jiji. I'd have heard if Sensei had mentioned an _Uzumaki_ clan! Do you know anymore? Are they real!?"

Hiruzen laughed good naturally at Naruto-kun's eagerness. "Why, yes Naruto-kun, the Uzumakis are a very real Clan. Unfortunately, there are no more Uzumakis, besides yourself, left in the village."

"What happened? Are the Uzumakis not from Konoha?" Naruto-kun asked eagerly.

"Well that's a long story Naruto-kun. A very complex tale," Hiruzen leaned back in his chair readying himself as he took another pull from his pipe. He'd be honored to be the one to tell Naruto-kun of his history, well, at least part of his family legacy. However, no sooner had the Sandaime found the right words to begin, then he felt the presence of one of his Anbu. Hiruzen sighed heavily. This was going to have to wait. "I'd love to tell you all about them Naruto-kun, but it looks like I'm needed elsewhere."

Naruto-kun's face fell. "Oh…"

Hiruzen couldn't look at the Yondaime's legacy without doing something. If he couldn't tell Naruto-kun now, and the Academy had left it out of his education, then Hiruzen would have to improvise. "But, I do know there is an extensive section in the library on the Uzumaki Clan. They were very important to the makings of the village. I'm sure you will find all you want to know about them there."

Naruto-kun perked back up again. "Alright, thanks Jiji. Bye!" He nearly ran out of his office in his hurry to unearth the secrets of his clan.

"Oh and Naruto-kun," Hiruzen stopped him before he'd gotten too far. "Do try to stay out of trouble this time."

"Sure thing Jiji!" He replied with a large smile on his face.

Hiruzen looked after Naruto-kun as he left. Minato and Kushina would be so proud…

* * *

Naruto approached the Konoha library with trepidation. The old woman at the front, guarding all the books and scroll and other such materials had never once let him past the entry hall, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try. This time would be different. He was on official Hokage business, at least, that was what he was going to tell her. Even if that old bat glared down at him and shooed him away, he was going to give this his best shot. He finally had a compelling reason to use the building. He was going to get in there today one way or another.

His first plan was to attempt this the easy way just like master pranking rule number nine stated. There was no point in thinking up some complicated plan if he hadn't tried this the easy way first. So, he was going to walk into that building, turn to the old hag and ask. Now some might think he was crazy. Why attempt something that was almost guaranteed to fail? If there was one lesson that he'd learned in his ten years, then it was that nothing was guaranteed unless you didn't bother to ask.

It reminded him of the time the kind ramen stand owner had given him a free bowl of ramen because it had been his thirteenth visit. Naruto was no fool. He'd been aware that the kind old man had made up that little 'reward'. But he hadn't scoffed at the gift. How could he? It had been days since his last decent meal as he'd run out of the small amount of money that Jiji had managed to get for him. That had been the time before he'd learned to properly manage the small sum, buy only what he absolutely needed and only from the stores that didn't charge too much. But the lesson he'd learned was clear. You didn't know the answer until you asked the question so like any other time, he was going to ask.

Walking into the large building with as much confidence as he could muster, Naruto attempted to walk right past the old woman guarding the entrance.

"And just where do you think you're going?" the old bat crowed at him. A crooked, wrinkled finger pointed in his direction stopping him in his tracks.

"I'm on official Hokage business you old hag," Naruto replied smugly. There was no way she could turn him away this time.

"Where's your mission statement then, you little brat?" she asked while narrowing her gaze.

Well shit. He didn't have one of those. "I, uh, I left it in my other pants," he tried. She was old, maybe she wouldn't notice the little white lie.

"Liar! Now out! Get out of my library you little street urchin before I throw you out!" she yelled at him. Despite her advanced age, he was inclined to believe that she could actually throw him out. Either way, he wasn't about to risk it. This was why he always had a plan B.

Walking back out of the library, Naruto stuffed his hands in his pockets as he grumbled to himself. At least the old bat hadn't called him dirty like last time. He took real offence to that considering he always made sure he washed at least twice a week. That was more than enough in his book. Head still down, Naruto made his way to an empty alleyway. He had to make sure that he looked like he'd truly given up or it might ruin his next attempt. He was good, but he wasn't that good, at least, not yet. He didn't want her to look too closely.

While he royally sucked at the Academy bunshin technique, his henge was second to none in the Academy. He'd taken the basics of the jutsu and made it his own, creating one very special jutsu. While he still had a few kinks to work out of his special sexy no jutsu, the skills he'd picked up while improving it had allowed him to gain exceptional skill at the basic henge.

As it was a skill that he didn't mind exploiting for his own personal gain, he was more than happy to put it to use here. If it worked on grumpy storeowners, it should work on the grumpy old woman. Using his henge, Naruto transformed into a civilian born student from his class. Brown hair, brown eyes and of average built, he was as plain as they came. This would work perfectly.

Aptly disguised, Naruto tried again. With the confidence that came with previous cases of success, he walked right into the building and straight past the evil woman claiming to be a librarian. He cheered internally when she didn't so much as give him the stink eye as he walked past. He was now that much closer to finding out about his clan. The hard part was officially over.

Grinning impishly, Naruto set to work on finding information on his clan. Checking bookcase after bookcase, he was determined. The information would be here somewhere and he wasn't going to stop until he found it. Believe it!

Minutes ticked by as he continued his search. Checking section after section, quickly skipping things he didn't care about he sighed at how long it was taking. Finally, after what felt like a lifetime of searching, he stumbled upon the clan section. Skimming the section, Naruto took note of some of the titles, Aburame, Akimichi, Fuuma, Hatake, and Hyuuga, here he took a moment to pause. He did want to know more about the clan of his best friend.

Still, maybe some other time, he wasn't really here for that. Continuing on he skipped over Inuzuka, Kagetsu, Kamizuru, Kohaku, and Kurama. He briefly glances over Nara, Sarutobi, Senju, Shimura, and Tsuchigumo, taking note that Jiji belonged to a clan as well. That was pretty cool. Finally as his hand glossed over Uchiha he saw it. The Uzumaki clan. There is was just waiting for him to investigate.

"No way," he gasped, surprised to actually see his name across the titles of books. It was one thing to hear Jiji talk about it and another to actually see it with his own eyes. A small part of him hadn't really believed the old man when he'd said it. It was refreshing to see that Jiji hadn't lied to him just to make him feel better. And the best part was the fact that it wasn't just one book like some of the other sections he'd pasted. No, there were just as many volumes on the Uzumakis as there were about the Uchiha. In fact, this first one even looked _bigger_ than most of the Uchiha volumes!

Pulling the book from the shelf, Naruto skimmed the pages. He wasn't naive enough to think he'd make it through the whole volume now. He knew the limits to his attention span. Instead, he skimmed the pages for the good stuff. He wanted to know what Uzumakis were good at. After flipping through page after page, his eyes finally land on the one word he was looking for _specialist_. He read on.

'The Uzumakis were known for long life (super cool), high chakra (a total score!), and fuuinjutsu…'

Naruto's eyes stopped at the word fuuinjutsu. 'Fuuinjutsu?' "What the_ heck_ is fuuinjutsu?"

* * *

**KJ's awesome cultural corner** (yeah, don't care if you don't agree, because I'm just that awesome).

(1) _The Sensei with no name._ This is both a technique to keep the introduction of characters small (i.e. If they aren't going to be used again then they don't get a name.), and a real thing for Senseis. Sensei is such an honorable title that it is acceptable to only call your teacher by this title (so, no Mr. Browns needed). It's extremely useful as well for writing. Side note, I've only learned the names of one out of four Senseis I've had, but they didn't know that.

(2) _Hai, yes, and yeah (etc)._ Why the interchange? Hai, is a formal yes. Which means you don't go to your buddies and say yes sir (unless you're being sarcastic or serious). So why not use the Japanese word equivalent to yeah or yup? Un (technically correct). Or Uh (looks better like that). Does that make any sense to you? Probably not, which is why we went for the English words. (I didn't even fight it…) So, we have 'hai' for serious or conversations with higher ups, and 'yeah' for the informal.

(3) _Weasel-san versus Inu-san._ Why didn't we just pick one way of saying the Anbu names? Simple, Itachi actually means weasel, _and_ I really didn't want to say dog-san. Kakashi is important enough to warrant a 'name' for his animal. That, and the fact that inu is used enough in fanfiction for it to be well known. (I had to argue hard for this one without seeming to be arguing for it at all. Complexities of being the younger twin…)

(4) _It's a pleasure to meet you._ Japanese that didn't make the cut. Hajimemashite is the phrase that means the same thing as it's a pleasure to meet you. It's common practice to introduce oneself with a name and then that phrase. That whole scene is riddled with traditional greeting practices, which Naruto messes up. I suppose that makes it funnier to me (and any other person who knows a little Japanese culture), but I think everyone gets the gest. I didn't get to use the phrase, because _**BloodRed13** _vetoed it. Too much Japanese, I guess. But I made sure the intent was the same. If I couldn't do that, then I'd have lobbied harder for the Japanese word (as I'm known to do).


	3. Fuuinjutsu 101

**AN**: Sup ya'll, firstly I wanted to thank everyone for their kind words. Not going to lie, I get crazy stoked to continue writing when I see how much you guys really enjoy our fic. That said, if you want the full experience (images, music, and videos that go with this fic) then check out our tumblr page HyuugaTheEldestSon (see my profile page for a direct link). Anyway, we really enjoy writing this fic and we hope you continue to follow us on this ride. So, have fun reading.

**PS** - We unfortunately own nothing. We're just shamelessly borrowing the Naruto universe to make our own story. Also, as a reminder regular chapter updates occur every Monday, however, we're overachievers so expect extra story content to happen at random.

**PPS** - Almost forgot, but below is a list of the new Japanese words that show up in this chapter as well as a list of common jutsu:

_Japanese_:

Kanji – Chinese characters (see corner for more information)

Fuuinjutsu – the art of sealing

Nan da? – What the…?

Ohayou – good morning (see corner for more information)

Gomen – sorry (see corner for more information)

Yatta – an expression of happiness

_Common Jutsu:_

Henge – transformation

Bunshin – clone

Kawarimi – substitution

* * *

_**Arc – Uzumaki Legacy**_

_Chapter Two – Fuuinjutsu 101 __『封印術__101__』_

Naruto slowly soaked in every word from the first subsection of the chapter in his book. Though he was unfamiliar with most of the kanji housed within the useful tome, he hadn't let that stop him. He'd even gone out of his way to pick up a dictionary from a completely different section of the library just to help.

Sitting back down in his aisle, he let his eyes carefully take in the information. Stopping only to consult the dictionary when his eyes fell upon an unfamiliar character. It was a little weird considering he'd never bothered to even open the Ninja Academy dictionary they'd given him years ago. His philosophy had always been, if he couldn't read it, then it wasn't worth reading. However, now that he had something worth reading, he didn't mind using the extra help to understand.

While it took nearly two hours to finish just that one small part, his most pressing question still remained unanswered. Glancing back over the section he'd just read, he confirmed it. There was _nothing_ more about fuuinjutsu. No explanations. No examples. There was just that one small portion about the importance of fuuinjutsu within the Uzumaki clan, and that wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. At least not for him.

Of course there was more to the chapter, more to the whole book, but flipping through the pages hadn't really helped him find out more on fuuinjutsu. With the book in his lap, Naruto continued to thumb through the pages looking for just one more mention of fuuinjutsu. He was desperate to find out more. Which in and of itself was kind of weird because he'd never wanted to know about something more than he did now.

There was just something about fuuinjutsu. Something that reached a part inside of him that had been empty for so long. Maybe it was the connection that this book, this art of sealing, had brought him. This was honestly the closest he'd ever been to having a _family_, and he didn't want to lose that link. Or maybe it was because _this_, fuuinjutsu, was something he would finally be _good_ at. This wouldn't be like bunshin or kawarimi no jutsu. He wouldn't blotch it up. Fuuinjutsu was an _Uzumaki_ specialty, and _he_ was an Uzumaki! The only one left in the Village. He _had_ to be good at it.

But there were just so many big words in the book, and so many pages to search. It was just too hard for Naruto to keep track of everything. Moreover, he'd already spent too much time in the library. It was now far later than he'd thought he'd be here and his henge was beginning to waver.

Even if he _wanted_ to stay and read the entire book now he couldn't. There wouldn't be enough time for him to sit here uninterrupted so he could read a _chapter_, let alone the _entire_ book. And Naruto wasn't naïve enough to believe he had the patience to sit here and just skim the whole text. He knew his limits, and he was rapidly approaching them, that only left him with one option.

Casing out his small section of the library, Naruto didn't see anyone else around him. 'No one is going to miss a book or two on the Uzumaki clan,' he thought as his grip tightened around the tome in his hand. Hadn't Jiji just told him that _he_ was the last of the clan here in Konoha?

Besides, this wasn't _really_ stealing. He'd bring it back, honestly. This would be more like borrowing. It would only be for a little while, and he didn't think anyone else would want the book in the meantime. Plus, Naruto was pretty sure that people normally could borrow books from a library even if _he'd_ never done it. So he wasn't really breaking any rules.

With his pep talk completed and his actions fully justified, Naruto got down to business. Operation Borrow Uzumaki Clan Library Book was now underway. First things first, he needed a way to sneak the book out of the library.

Causally walking to the nearest restroom book firmly in hand, Naruto made his way to the stall in the back. It would be far enough away from the door that he wasn't likely to get caught. Caution was of course the number one tool in his mastery of escape arsenal. While he wasn't about to execute the greatest prank, and subsequent escape, the Village had ever seen up to this point, he figured the same rules would apply. Sneak in, set up, get out and most importantly don't get caught. With that thought in mind he went to work.

Glancing down at the large tome in his hands, it didn't take him long to realize that the thick volume wasn't going to fit in his pants. Unfortunately, he hadn't brought a jacket with him so there was no way he'd be able to hide it in his clothes. Although now that he thought about it, the book was so large that it probably wouldn't have fit under a jacket anyway so that wasn't really a big lost. So, carrying it on his person was out of the picture. 'Guess it's time for plan D!' he thought as he quietly exited the stall.

Eyes quickly glancing around the bathroom to ensure that no one else had somehow snuck in while he'd been contemplating shoving a book down his pants, Naruto was satisfied to see he was still alone in the small room. Taking a more detailed look at the space, he spotted an out of the way window on the far wall. Quickly sticking his head out the opening, he mentally cheered. There just so happened to be a few thick bushes near his window. However, another quick glance wiped the smile from his face. It didn't look like he was close enough for this to work at least not for what he had in mind.

Leaving the bathroom, Naruto causally cased the library for a window that could actually serve his purpose. The search was long and hard, slowed by the fact that he still needed to keep a low profile. There were several times when he'd thought the old bat was on to him. Her beady little eyes narrowed on him in a tight frown as he searched. He'd had to stop in a few random sections just to throw her off his trail. Luckily he'd had that dictionary to put away so he didn't have to stand in the middle of an isles staring at nothing. After all, he had to make her think he was still actively looking for and looking at books so she didn't try to kick him out before he was done.

To make matters worse, he'd needed to reapply his henge a couple of times as well. The longer he held it up, the harder it was to keep it in place. And even when he'd had it up, it just wasn't staying the way it was supposed to. Morphing in strange ways that was surely to give away his use of the henge even to a civilian.

Naruto made a mental note to work on that. The henge was his _best_ skill. He really needed to be able to use it all day if he had to. Well, practice did make perfect. He was just going to have to use it more often. 'I wonder what else I can do with this bad boy,' he pondered as he continued his search. He was getting really good ideas already.

Finally, just when he'd begun to lose hope, he'd stumbled upon the perfect set of windows. The last set near the front of the library would work just fine for what he had in mind. The bushes were right in front of the window. It was impossible to look out it, which meant no one would be able to look in either. It was _exactly_ what he needed for Operation Borrow Uzumaki Clan Library Book.

As was typical for his luck today, that old hag had her desk right in front of the window he needed to use. He gave the old crow a quick look. Her hawk like eyes were zeroed in on him, brows furrowed in suspicion. _Shimatta_! This wasn't going to be easy. This was going to take _all_ of his skill to pull off successfully.

Naruto casually set his book down on the table nearest the window. He was going to need both of his hands free if this was going to work. Task completed, Naruto headed back through the library. He needed to be just far enough away so the old bat couldn't see him at the window and yet close enough for her weak hearing to actually hear the little disturbance he was about to create. So, he decided to take it at an angle that way he wouldn't be too far away and yet the window would be firmly out of her line of sight.

Glancing around the section he found himself in, Naruto nodded at his good fortune. The coast was clear. Naruto fished out a spool of ninja wire from his pocket. Despite having used a considerable amount of ninja wire on his prank today, he still had more than enough to complete his current task. He'd learned early on not to leave home without more than enough for whatever he planned for the day. After all he'd had to keep master pranking rule number two in mind. Always be prepared was a rule that had saved his skin on more than one occasion. There was no reason to start ignoring it now.

Naruto set to work. As it was, timed springs were fairly easy to make. Naruto had been doing them for years now, however he was also aware that with confidence often came the inevitable slip ups. He couldn't afford to make mistakes right now, not when there was so much on the line. So Naruto was careful while he set the timed spring trap. He treated it like this was the first time, moving slowly and paying meticulous detail to every step. He had to get this just right.

Too much power and the nearby books might get shredded into little pieces of paper. He may not have liked the old hag, but this was her library. There was no reason to destroy it if he didn't have to. Even so, if he made the trap with too little power then the falling books wouldn't make enough noise to draw the old crow's attention. A delicate trap like this was not for rookies, so it was a really good thing he was no rookie.

Trap set, Naruto slowly made his way back to the front section of the library grabbing a random book from a nearby shelf. He had two minutes to lose the old bat's suspicion before his trap went off. This was perhaps the most important part of his plan, and he wasn't about to waste a second of that time. Sitting down next to his book he cracked open the random one. He needed her to focus on how innocent he looked now so she didn't remember that he'd been in the section that was about to explode. He needed her ancient brain to forget he'd ever acted suspicious for this to work.

Slowly flipping through the pages, Naruto mentally counted seconds. Eighty seconds. He looked up. The old woman had finally stopped staring at him. Ninety-seven seconds. He flipped another page and causally glanced to the right. The coast was still clear, no one was paying him any attention in that direction. One hundred and thirteen seconds. He shifted his head as he continued to fake read the book in front of him, looking at the other page. His eyes quickly glancing up to the left, he mentally cheered when he realized there wasn't a soul in that direction. One hundred and twenty seconds. Right on time a loud bang could be heard as his trap triggered.

Knowing the drill, Naruto looked up in surprise, head turned in the direction of the noise while he secretly kept track of the old hag's location. He just barely managed to suppress the smile attempting to spread across his face as he watched her rise from her seat. She was slow to move, but eventually she made it to the disturbance, not once looking in his direction.

Discretely sliding out of his chair, Naruto grabbed his book before backing into the window directly behind him opening it in the process. Not willing to waste any more time, he chucked the book out the crack and slipped back into his seat, grabbing the random book he'd been using as a decoy. He wouldn't be able to leave until the old woman was safely back in her seat glaring daggers at overly loud patrons. If his calculations were correct he'd be sitting here for another ten minutes tops. He could wait that long.

* * *

Kicking the door shut behind him, Naruto made his way to his kitchen table. He hadn't bothered to check his basic traps, too eager to start reading his newly acquired book to worry about possible break-ins. It wasn't as if anyone had tried to get into his place in the last few years. Truthfully, he probably could have taken down the traps altogether, but old habits die hard. And as master pranking rule number thirty-five stated: never get too comfortable, because you can never be absolutely sure they've really stopped chasing you.

Setting the heavy tome on top of the worn surface of his kitchen table, Naruto turned to his ancient stove. The gas line was a little bit finicky so he had to be extra careful while turning the old thing on. Stove lit, he grabbed his trusty kettle. The squat little orange appliance had been with him since Jiji had gotten him this little slice of heaven. His own haven away from the looks and whispers, he treasured the little space he could call his own. It didn't matter if there were a few cracks in the wallpaper or if the hot water only worked half the time. This place was his and he loved it.

Filling his kettle with water, he plopped it down on the stove, hopping onto the counter so that he could reach his stash of ramen. He couldn't wait until his growth spurt finally kicked in so he wouldn't have to climb his own appliances just to reach the food in his kitchen. Jiji said it wouldn't be too long now before he actually grew some. Hopefully the old man wasn't just trying to make him feel better about being the shortest in his class.

Sliding back down to the floor, Naruto set his cup ramen on the counter before turning back to his kitchen table. Normally, he would have waited impatiently for the water to boil. A length of time far more agonizing then the three minute wait for his ramen to cook simply because he knew he still had those dreaded three minutes after the water was ready. Man did he hate that wait. If only there was some way to speed the whole process up. What he wouldn't give for a special technique that could do that?

Shaking his head, Naruto turned to his book, picking it up and thumbing through the pages as he sat down in one of the two seats he had at the table. He guessed that luck really was on his side today because for the first time he actually had something he wanted to do during the long wait for his food. Finally finding the spot he'd stopped at in the library, Naruto began to read. 'Man, life couldn't get too much better than this,' he thought as he leant back in his chair, curious eyes ready to soak up every bit of information offered to him.

…_The Uzumaki clan is a distant blood relation to the Senju clan, the key founder of our great village of Konoha…_

* * *

The birds were chirping, the sun was out and Naruto had a little lift to his steps as he trudged his way to the Academy. He'd stayed up far later than he would have liked, but he couldn't really complain. Not when he'd managed to make it through the whole first chapter of his new book. He'd learned so much in just a few hours. It was amazing. And for the first time in a long while he was actually looking forward to reading _more_ of a book. He couldn't remember a time when he was this excited to _read_. But he was. In fact he was so excited to learn more about his clan that he'd brought the book with him. There was bound to be some time during the day when he'd be able to read more, even if it was just his lunch break.

He felt a little weird. The only thing he'd ever skipped lunch for before was to do a prank. Now he wanted to _read_. He wondered if that made him a bookworm like Sakura-san... Nah, he was reading about his clan, his family. And they were _cool_. Reading about cool things was totally acceptable.

Nodding to himself, Naruto thought about all he'd learned about his clan last night. The coolest thing he could think of was fuuinjutsu. The Uzumaki clan was supposed to be amazing at it. That meant when he learned it, he'd be just as good! 'No, I'll be _better_! I'll be the _best_ fuuinjutsu user the Uzumaki clan has ever produced! Believe it!' Naruto thought as he jumped up, punching the air in his excitement.

And then there was elemental chakra. He wasn't exactly sure _what_ that was, but that sounded pretty cool too. Well, not as cool as fuuinjutsu, but totally awesome nonetheless. After all, anything with chakra in its name was bound to be awesome. He'd have to learn more about that too, but maybe after he became an awesome fuuinjutsu user.

Snickering, Naruto couldn't help but remember the parts he'd read about all the clans and how they were related. As it turned out the Uzumaki clan was a distant relative to the Senju, just like the Uchiha clan was a distant relative to the Hyuuga. That meant Sasuke was a lot like him. They both came from clans that were only off shoots of more powerful lines, the first two clans to exist. It was actually kind of funny how the Uchiha acted so high and mighty when they weren't as old or as powerful as the clan they'd originated from. He would have to remember that so he could rub it in Sasuke's face. Yup, they were pretty much the same in that regard.

Naruto briefly wondered about the Uzumaki traits. They were supposed to have red hair, but he'd sent hours this morning looking and he couldn't find a trace of red in his hair. He'd thought he might have seen a strand or two, but that could have easily been wishful thinking.

Clearly he got his looks from his mom. She must have had blonde hair too! Naruto had already started dreaming about them again, his parents. His mom with blonde hair, he wondered if she was part of a clan too. Ino-san did have blonde hair… nah, that was just too weird. Besides, it was okay that she didn't have a clan, it wasn't like everyone could belong to one after all.

Naruto's dad though was an _Uzumaki_, which meant he had to have been a great seal master. He could just picture him now with spiky red hair. He'd have been a prankster like him too! That's what Uzumakis did! It said so in the book and everything!

Naruto wondered if he ought to get armor made just like the picture he'd found in his book. It was pretty cool, but a bit old fashion. He wasn't sure if any of the clans still had armor like that. Maybe the Akimichi. Naruto shook his head in thought. Nah, the armor was out. It really was too out dated for him. Not to mention completely _boring_! Where was the color! The flare! The pizazz!

Oh well, it seemed like color was missing from most of the clans' wardrobe as well. Just look at the Hyuuga. If the Hyuuga police uniforms were standard clan wear then he wasn't sure he wanted the Uzumaki clan to follow that pattern. He guessed he'd just have to change that. The Uzumaki clan couldn't be _boring_. They had to be strong _and_ cool! The perfect combination of awesome! So from now on, _his_ clan would have to wear orange, believe it! It was the coolest color out there!

Naruto had barely made it one step into the classroom before he'd felt a violent tug at the back of his shirt. Stumbling slightly, his grip on his book tightened as he tried not to drop it. 'Nan da?' he wondered as he turned slightly. 'Oh,' his thoughts continued as he spied the angry glare of his Sensei. He didn't look too happy to see him. Well, he _never _looked too happy to see him, but today he looked especially pissed. 'Shimatta,' he internally cursed as he turned fully around to face the irate man. This would not end well.

"Ohayou, Sensei. How was the rest of yesterday's class? I hope nothing _too_ exciting happened," he laughed lightly, trying not to tick off the man in front of him too badly, but unable to stop the image of a flour covered Sensei from entering his head.

"We had a bit of a disruption after you left, Uzumaki. A no good _prankster_ attacked the class." The older man nearly spat the word prankster at him. It was fairly clear who he thought was responsible for _that_ incident.

"Well, that's really too bad Sensei," he replied, attempting to channel as much innocence as he possibly could. If the look on Sensei's face was any indicator, then he didn't think he was doing a good enough job. He'd have to work on that. Mastered facial expressions were an important tool in his master pranking and escape arsenal after all.

"I might not be able to prove it, but I _know_ it was you Uzumaki," Sensei accused, the vein on his forehead bulging from what Naruto could only guess was his barely restrained anger.

"Gomen Sensei, but I have no idea what you're talking about," Naruto responded quickly. If he took his time answering then it would be a sure sign of guilt. He wasn't sure why Sensei hadn't been informed of his capture, but he was glad. Now, he just needed to maintain his confident façade. It wouldn't do to fuel the man's belief that he'd had a hand in the mishaps from yesterday. Even if Sensei was right about it being his doing. He wasn't going to give the man a reason to tack on extra punishments.

"You can play dumb all you want Uzumaki, but I know it was you. And thanks to your no good prank _I_ had to clean flour off of my _entire_ classroom. _I_ had to clean up the mess _you_ made. But I'm a nice guy, so I'll be lenient. _You_ can spend the rest of the week thinking about what it means to be a _serious_ shinobi."

"Okay Sensei. Will do," Naruto replied thoroughly confused as to why Sensei was being so nice about it. Moving to walk into the classroom for the second time that morning, he was blocked by Sensei's extended arm. "Hey! What gives?" he asked, looking up at the man looming above him.

"You can think about being a serious shinobi _outside_ of class," he replied as he pointed down the hallway with his free hand. "I don't want to see you again for the rest of this week, Uzumaki."

"But Sensei, we're starting ninja espionage techniques today!" Naruto complained. He was really looking forward to learning how to be even sneakier than he was already.

"Tough. Maybe next time you'll think about your _shinobi_ training before you decide to prank someone," Sensei replied before he turned on his heels and entered his classroom, shutting the door in Naruto's face in the process.

Outraged, Naruto couldn't believe his ears. He was really being _banned_ from class. And not just one lesson, but a _whole_ _week's_ worth of lessons. He was going to be _so_ far behind Hyuuga-hime now. He ought to prank Sensei again for that, but…

Naruto felt the weight of his book. He could do it later after he learned more about his clan. If he wasn't going to learn from class, then he could at least learn something just as useful. And now he didn't need to find extra time to read.

Walking to the nearest park, Naruto spotted his favorite tree. Easily scaling it, he sat down and flipped open his book, turning to the section he'd left off at the day before. Chapter two was titled 'the Wondering Years' and boy did that sound exciting.

…_After the separation of the Senju and Uzumaki clans, the Uzumaki clan choose to wonder the world in search of techniques and fuuinjutsu…_

* * *

Naruto didn't bother to go back to class until he'd finished the book. Unfortunately five days later, he'd ended up with more questions than answers to the majority of his most pressing issues. Sure, he'd learned a heck of a lot more about history reading just the first volume than all the time he'd spent in class, but history wasn't the reason he'd picked up the book in the first place. No, he'd wanted to learn about clan techniques and the like. It was a little disappointing to come up nearly completely empty on that regard, especially considering how much effort he'd put into making it through the large tome.

Five days was a long time. And he wasn't going to lie, it _had_ tried his patience. However, whenever he'd felt himself about to quit and give up, he'd reminded himself why he was doing this in the first place. He was reminded of his goals and dreams, and that was enough for him to be able to pick himself up, soldier on and finish reading.

Naruto had been so sure that if he'd just kept reading, just read one more page, he'd discover the special Uzumaki clan techniques. He'd discover super cool fuuinjutsu techniques and elemental jutsu. All he had to do was keep reading, but he'd read the whole thing and not a _single_ word about jutsu. Maybe there was some mention about special Uzumaki jutsu in the next volume or the one after that, but he didn't think he could skip that much class just to read the whole Uzumaki clan section.

Besides, what he really wanted to learn more about was fuuinjutsu, and maybe elemental chakra if he got the chance. Of course it seemed like everyone had some type of elemental chakra, so maybe he'd take a pass on that for now. Yeah, Naruto didn't really need to know elemental chakra, not when he could spend time learning super cool _fuuinjutsu_ instead! After all, only the Uzumaki were prodigies with fuuinjutsu, which meant he would be too. He _had_ to be!

Even with his disappointment at the lack of fuuinjutsu information, Naruto enjoyed reading about his clan. It was just too cool to learn about all the awesome things the Uzumaki's had done. They'd been involved in so much more than just the founding of _Konohagakure_! The feats they'd accomplished with seals alone were just too cool to be real. He couldn't wait to try it out himself. He just needed some help, the building blocks so he could get started. So, Naruto had gone back to the library to try to find more details on it.

After skimming through all of the other volumes, he still couldn't find any specifics. Naruto sighed heavily in frustration. He couldn't be all that surprised. The other volumes had been specific in their description. They'd been large and precise, but more importantly had not been about fuuinjutsu in general. No, Naruto would have to find a volume with fuuinjutsu in the name for him to find any more information on the subject, which was very unlikely. Heck, the series didn't even go into the Uzumaki's role in the foundation of Konoha until volume _four_!

Well, the titles of some of the other volumes had been kind of interesting. He was sure he'd enjoy reading about the 'Warring States' era. Free range ninja fighting glorious battles, battles just as impressive as some of the Great Shinobi Wars. And he'd been a little tempted to read the 'Uzumaki Clan Member' volume, just so he could look for his dad, but he really didn't have time for all of that. He was already so far behind Hyuuga-hime. The type of pleasure reading that would allow him to enjoy learning more about Uzushiogakure would have to wait at least until he became a Genin. No, it would have to wait even longer than that too, if he was to become the awesome shinobi worthy of the Hyuuga-hime's friendship. For now he needed answers to more pressing issues.

He'd contemplated going back to the library again and looking for a scroll or book on the sealing arts, but dismissed the idea almost immediately. Naruto wanted to know how to do fuuinjutsu. It wasn't very likely that there'd be anything on that in the regular public library. It just seemed too powerful for Jiji to allow a bunch of scrolls like that to be available for just anyone. No, if there was going to be a scroll on it at all, then it would be in the ninja library, but he couldn't get into that one until he was a Genin. There was no way Naruto was going to wait _two_ years to start working on his _fuuinjutsu_ skills!

And even if there was information on fuuinjutsu in either library, he didn't really want to have to read another book that would take him another week to finish just to find out about it. He could be patient when the time really called for it, he just didn't think that he needed to exercise that skill any more than he already had.

'Well, I could always ask Inu-san about it,' Naruto thought as he sat in the branches of what was slowly becoming _his_ tree. 'But he's normally so _busy_. He doesn't even have time to play anymore,' he pouted as he fiddle with a nearby leaf. 'Plus, it's always a total gamble that Inu-san will be the one to catch me after a prank, so I guess he's out of the picture anyway.' Naruto sighed as he stared up at the blue sky hidden behind the green leaves of his tree. "I guess there's only one solution," he mumbled to himself as he hopped from his perch on his tree. It was time to see Jiji.

* * *

Climbing the stairs of the Hokage Tower, Naruto crossed his fingers. He was going to need all the luck he could get in order to bypass Jiji's rather strict secretary. She didn't normally let him in to see the old man unless it was super important or Jiji had asked for him specifically.

Walking with all the confidence he could muster, Naruto made his way down the hallway. If he was lucky, she wouldn't even notice he was there. After all there had to be some perks to being this short.

"And where do you think you're going Uzumaki-san?" Jiji's secretary asked, stopping him in mid-step as he approached the old man's office.

"Well, you see. I, ah, just need to speak to Jiji for a couple of minutes," he replied, nervously creeping his way closer to his office. If he could only reach the door, and speak loud enough for Jiji to hear him, he might get away with this.

"You will do no such thing," she replied sternly. "Hokage-sama does _not_ have time for your interruption. He's in the midst of some very important business."

"Ah come on. He's just looking over some boring _paperwork_. That's not _that_ important," he complained as he continued his slow inch towards Jiji's door.

"Stop right there Uzumaki-san. I know exactly what you're doing," she accused with a pointed finger. "You will _not_ interrupt the Hokage-sama and that is _final_. Now run along."

Caught, Naruto headed for the stairwell. He knew when he'd lost. "It's not my fault Jiji would rather hang out with the coolest future ninja of all time, then do stupid paperwork," he mumbled as he passed her desk. She just gave him a pointed stare as he continued on his way, head down and hands firmly in his pockets.

Well, there was more than one way to see Jiji. 'I guess it's time for plan B,' he thought as he shuffled down the stairs. Although he did promise the old man that he'd try to stay out of trouble. He was just going to have to keep his antics on the small side of the scale. He really didn't want to have to spend too much time cleaning up. That would defeat the whole purpose of skipping the library and heading straight to Jiji. Anyway, it was just going to have to be the price he had to pay. Hopefully Jiji will understand. Desperate times do call for desperate measures after all.

* * *

"Uzumaki-san, by orders of the Hokage-sama you are to stay here to wait for his audience," Hyuuga-san stated with the stiff formality familiar to his clan, hand still firmly gripping Naruto's arm.

Dangling slightly from Hyuuga-san's grasp, Naruto began to complain. He may have been a prankster, but that didn't mean he could be manhandled like a sack of potatoes. "Geez Hyuuga-san, you can let me down now. I'm not going anywhere," he huffed. Sometimes he hated doing things the hard way.

"You've been warned Uzumaki-san. Do not attempt to escape from punishment," Hyuuga-san replied as he loosened his grasp, letting Naruto fall to the floor in an undignified heap. Naruto huffed again. What had he ever done to Hyuuga-san to deserve this kind of treatment? Oh man, maybe Hyuuga-san had been a part of that group that one time he'd hit the Police Headquarters. Still, he didn't think blue hair was a good excuse to be _mean_. It had washed right out… eventually.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't be so rough next time Hyuuga-san," he complained as he headed to his customary seat. They should really think about dedicating this spot to him. You know, get his name engraved in it to commemorate how often he has to sit there.

"Next time stay in _class_ Uzumaki-san," Hyuuga-san replied before turning to leave, his partner by his side. Their job was done after all.

Plopping down into the 'throne of the totally awesome', he was trying out new names for his chair, Naruto noticed the particularly dirty look Jiji's secretary was throwing him.

"Uzumaki-san, just because I said you couldn't visitdoes _not_ mean you should go out and prank some poor shopkeeper just so you can get in here," she admonished, her dark eyes leveled steadily on his form. It was actually kind of scary.

'Note to self, do _not_ prank Jiji's secretary,' he thought as he sank further in to the 'throne of the complete screw up' at least that's how he felt with her glaring at him.

"Hokage-sama has too much to do for you to go and pester him whenever you want to," she finished, sending him one more deadly look before turning back to the papers on her desk.

'Man, I'm going to have to be sneakier about this,' he thought as he absentmindedly swung his legs. He was just short enough that if he sat all the way back his feet wouldn't touch the floor. 'I think she's on to me,' he added before turning back to the door. 'Hopefully Jiji won't take too long this time.'

* * *

Sarutobi Hiruzen leant back in his chair as he watched a squirming Naruto-kun fidget in the seat across from him. The Sandaime took a deep draw from his pipe. Only seconds ago, Naruto-kun had just loudly proclaimed that he wanted to be a master at fuuinjutsu. 'A master, huh.' Hiruzen had expected something like this. Had planned for this moment. He had just _hoped_ that Naruto-kun wouldn't have needed to get into trouble for this conversation to happen.

Hiruzen took another long pull of his pipe as he studied the Yondaime's legacy. "Jiji, do you think you could help?" Naruto-kun asked weakly sweat starting to drip off his brow.

Hiruzen blew out a long stream of smoke as he considered his options. He didn't want to encourage this attention seeking behavior, but he did want to give Naruto-kun his best chance. The Sandaime had already gone through the trouble to create a very detailed scroll that would help the young boy learn fuuinjutsu. He'd been expecting Naruto-kun to want to learn it. Something about Uzumakis' and fuuinjutsu had left little doubt in his mind that Naruto-kun would want to follow in his ancestors' footsteps. But should he now?

"I don't know, Naruto-kun. I asked you to stay out of trouble, but here you are not even a week later. Skipping class no less. I thought you would take your shinobi career more seriously."

"I _am_ taking it seriously, Jiji! I only pulled the prank so I could see _you_!"

"You need only have stopped by Naruto-kun. You know you are always welcome."

Naruto-kun grumbled something under his breath, but otherwise said nothing.

The Sandaime sighed as he took another long draw of his pipe. In times like this, he really needed it. "Naruto-kun, the art of fuuinjutsu is not a child's toy. It is for serious shinobi."

"I know Jiji, please! It's all I have of my clan!"

Hiruzen studied Naruto-kun long and hard. His fierce determination reminded him strongly of his mother. Kushina would be so proud. The Sandaime sighed again as he opened the drawer to his desk where he'd been keeping the scroll. He'd always been planning to give it to him. He just hoped this wasn't a huge mistake.

Tossing the scroll at Naruto-kun, Hiruzen spoke. "That will have exercises and information on proper sealing techniques."

Naruto-kun jumped out of his seat in excitement. "Yatta! Thanks Jiji!"

"There are chakra blocks on the higher level techniques, so you won't be able to get to anything too complex until you're ready."

Naruto-kun did a little dance as he moved toward the door. "Don't worry Jiji. I'll have it mastered in no time."

"And Naruto-kun." Naruto-kun turned back to Hiruzen, "Promise me you really will try to stay out of trouble."

"Promise Jiji."

"I don't want to hear about a large increase in mystery pranks either. One prank per new sealing technique, Naruto-kun."

"Hai, hai, Jiji. No worries," Naruto-kun replied with a large smile on his face.

Hiruzen watched Naruto-kun's retreating form. What had he done?

* * *

More than excited to get started, Naruto couldn't wait to open up the scroll. Rushing out of Jiji's office, he'd practically sprinted to his favorite spot in the park. Plopping down next to his tree, Naruto rolled out the scroll so that he could get to the good stuff at the bottom. Looking expectantly at the end of the scroll, the grin that had yet to leave his face disappeared. The sight of Jiji's neat hand writing a complete disappointment.

'_Naruto-kun, as I told you earlier you won't be able to access the higher-level techniques until you have the proper chakra control. But don't worry, I've included appropriate chakra control exercises to help you get there. *smiley face* - Jiji'_

Naruto sighed in frustration. He'd been so close, but of course he should have known better. As Inu-san always said, there were no short cuts to strength. Naruto rolled the scroll back hiding the mostly blank parchment so that he could read the first section. It displayed a diagram with a basic stone chakra manipulation exercise. The detailed images were accompanied by an even more detailed explanation, but Naruto didn't bother reading it. There was no way he was going to waste any more time trying to read all of that.

Plus it couldn't be _that_ hard. He already knew how to activate his chakra and the images were pretty self-explanatory. In fact, the exercise looked oddly familiar. Now that he thought about it, Naruto vaguely remembered getting kicked out of class last year when the Sensei, Naruto hadn't bothered learning his name either, was teaching this very technique.

Then it was settled. This had to be fairly simple if he was already supposed to know it. 'Besides,' Naruto thought as he looked down at the diagram again. 'It didn't seem that hard.' Picking up a small pebble like the ones he remembered the other students using last year, Naruto formed the basic hand sign for chakra release. Immediately the small rock shot off his hand like a mini projectile… "Too cool!" he declared loudly, already impressed with himself. Clearly he'd mastered the skill, and in less time then he'd thought!

Naruto quickly looking back to the scroll for the next section. He wasn't about to waste precious time he didn't have working on a skill he had so obviously mastered. After all, he wanted to learn fuuinjutsu, not chakra control. The only problem was…nothing changed. 'Nan da? Didn't I learn it?' Naruto asked himself as he looked back at the image. Unfortunately, looking at the diagram didn't really tell him what had gone wrong. Groaning, Naruto flopped back down. He was actually going to have to read the scroll.

Starting from the top, he couldn't help but notice just how many unnecessary words littered the page. Thankfully, it wasn't too complicated so he could simplify the directions fairly easily. One, get a small stone. Check. Two, channel chakra into the stone. Check. Three, keep stone on palm with only chakra. Jumping up to get another stone, Naruto didn't bother to read further than the first paragraph. He was a man of action, and he'd spent far too much time reading already. Hyuuga-hime was already out pacing him! He needed to have this mastered today! Believe it!

Picking up a similarly sized pebble, Naruto tried again. Unfortunately, applying chakra only caused the small stone to shot off his hand just as rapidly, if not more so, than the last time he'd tried. "Shimatta! This is going to take longer than I thought," Naruto complained as he quickly rose from his spot to search for more small rocks. The modest pile of pebbles was soon completely depleted as he tried again and again only to receive the same result. No matter how much chakra he used, he couldn't get the darn stone to stick. Huffing in frustration, Naruto turned his attention back to the scroll. He was going to need to read more than the first paragraph if this was going to work.

'Well that makes sense,' he thought as he finally read the entire explanation. 'Too much chakra and the stone shoots off, but I kind of already figured that one. And too little chakra causes the rock to not stick. Yeah, pretty sure I don't have that problem,' Naruto thought as he glanced over the instructions once more. 'There's got to be some kind of trick or something,' he continued as his eyes took in the words. 'Just my luck,' he complained. 'No tricks or tips. Well isn't that just swell?' The only thing he'd noticed was the advanced form of doing the technique on any part of his body and the replacement of the stone with a single leaf. However he'd need to get the dang thing to stay on his hand first!

With no short cuts in sight, Naruto went to gather more stones. A quick look around his spot and he realized that he wouldn't be finding the pebbles he'd already used. Of course if he thought about it, it made sense. They'd shot from his hand with some pretty impressive speed. He really wouldn't be surprised if they were a couple miles out from his position. So, without the prospect of easily finding the stones he'd already used, he got to work looking for more. Luck was with him as it only took a few extra minutes to gather a rather large pile of pebbles.

Stones in hand, he set back to work. The next two hours were spent in rapid concentration as he attempted to keep the small rocks in his open hand. Belly rumbling, he'd felt he had made enough progress to justify taking a lunch break. He figured the five feet distance his pebbles were traveling was pretty good progress all things considering. He was going to stay positive just as master pranking rule number twenty-eight said. There was no point getting down if he could actually see the progress he was making.

'So maybe I'm not where I thought I'd be right now,' Naruto thought as he moved to his little pack. 'This is just a small setback,' he continued as he pulled out a small pot and a cup of his favorite instant ramen. He'd of course come prepared. 'I'll have those stones sticking to my hand by the end of the day! Believe it!' he finished as he began the process setting up his campfire. It was actually a rather relaxing activity, gathering wood and the proper stones just as Inu-san had taught him.

Fire started, Naruto hopped over to the nearby river to fill his little pan. He wasn't looking forward to the long wait for his lunch, but maybe he could make the most of his time. Plopping down to wait, Naruto thought over his situation. 'Maybe the problems with the pebbles?' he thought as he sat back, leaning into his favorite tree. 'Maybe it's just not heavy enough?' he continued as he gazed up at the sky.

'Yeah, I should use bigger rocks,' he concluded with a casual glance at his heating water. 'Plus bigger stones are probably more difficult which means I'll have even _better_ chakra control when I'm done.' Decision made, he transferred the hot liquid to his cup noodle to begin the long agonizing three-minute wait.

Five minutes later found Naruto combing the area for more rocks. Stumbling upon a stone just a little bit smaller than his palm, he picked it up and tried again. Eyes shut tight on the off chance this wouldn't work –he didn't really want to see the damage a rock this size would make– Naruto applied the same amount of chakra he'd been using earlier. Holding his breath he waited. Nothing happened. Opening his eyes, he spotted the stone still firmly in his palm. He'd done it! The slight weight of the rock was perhaps the greatest feeling in the world. Testing out how firmly his chakra held the rock in place, Naruto moved his hand up and down, shaking it a little to see if it would stay. Now came the tricky part.

Turning back to the scroll, Naruto infused some of his chakra into it to activate the basic fuuinjutsu that should have been below. To his amazement, although he wasn't really surprised he _had_ gotten the chakra exercise to work, more writing appeared on the scroll.

"Storage seal…" Naruto read aloud. Now that sounded useful. Looking behind him at his little campsite, the fire and pot set up and his small bag thrown haphazardly by his favorite tree, he couldn't help to note all the things he'd wanted to bring. Yeah, he had everything he absolutely needed, but if he could bring more… Naruto grinned wickedly. He'd be able to do _a lot_ with a seal like this one.

The next hour found him bent at the waist practicing writing the seal. Over and over again, he wrote. Not stopping until he'd thought he'd gotten it just right, and then he'd written it again just to make sure. Luckily enough, it was an awful lot like dying camouflage paper. Slow and time consuming, but rewarding nonetheless. He just had to pay attention to the little details and push through even if his hand ached. He had a feeling there would be a lot of sore hands in his future.

With everything just right, Naruto didn't waste another minute. Taking the newly drawn seal he infused a small portion of his chakra into it. He was careful to use just the amount mentioned in the scroll. He really needed to get this right. Holding his breath, Naruto waited for the seal to activate.

_BOOM!_

Black powder covered his face as the seal promptly exploded. Hair swept back, Naruto blinked. 'Alright, so I don't have this thing mastered like I thought I did,' he thought with a heavy sigh. 'That's okay. Just a minor setback for the greatest future ninja Konoha has ever seen,' he continued as he glanced at the overly innocent looking scroll still lying to his right. 'Maybe I should go back to the small pebbles,' he contemplated, spotting such a stone not more than a foot away from him. Perhaps that was a sign.

Rolling his shoulders, Naruto grabbed the rock. "Okay you. You're about to become my new best friend," he spoke directly to the little pebble, holding it up to his eye level. "We're going to get this right even if it's the last thing we do! Believe it!" he declared before slipping the stone into his pocket. Having his first attempt at fuuinjutsu blow up in his face was probably enough for a first day. Plus it was getting kind of late anyway. Lumbering over to his pack, Naruto started the process of cleaning up. If this training session was anything to go by, then it was definitely going to be a long week.

* * *

_**Two Weeks Later**_

"Super Ninja Notes part 5: Operation Honey & Feathered," Naruto began as he spoke into his small recording device. Inu-san had given him his old one for no particular reason a week ago. He'd simply tossed it at his head before disappearing just as fast as he'd arrived. Naruto had just barely been able to catch it, which was a good thing because he'd been pretty high in the trees of Konoha at the time. If he'd dropped it then, he wouldn't have been able to use whatever survived the fall. Of course, Inu-san could be weird like that so he wasn't all that bothered.

As it was, Naruto had been putting it to good use. He managed to record his successes and temporary setbacks, which at this point was mostly setbacks, but he couldn't complain. He'd finally managed to activate a successful seal earlier in the week so at this point all seemed to be fairing pretty well. And now that he could record his sealing attempts he could more easily replicate those successes and avoid the setbacks. Now all he had to do was listen to the recording to remember what had worked and what hadn't. It made life a heck of a lot easier that was for sure.

A small pebble was stuck to his forehead as he thoroughly reviewed his plan for Operation Honey & Feathered. "Three kilograms of honey. Check." He'd been saving up honey for the entire week just for this purpose. "Dyed camouflage papers. Check." He'd picked out the dyed papers that would work best for the location of his next operation. It hadn't taken long because he'd long ago discovered that having every possible variety available made pranks run the smoothest. There was no point in wasting time when he could make a bunch in his down time. "Ten kilograms of goose feathers. Check." He'd personally plucked every feather. It had taken him a couple days of work, but in the end it would totally be worth it. "Ninja wire. Check." He'd been stock piling ninja wire for his 'operations' for years now so that hadn't been all that hard to come by. "Set up supplies. Check. And everything seems to be in order."

Now came the hard part. After Naruto's first failed sealing attempt, he'd spent the next week mastering the chakra control technique. Of course he'd stopped to check his progress, succeeding in creating a very small storage scroll that could barely hold the sealing supplies he'd made it with on his second official try. He hadn't been able to make a seal that could hold much more until his last attempt.

So while Naruto had successfully created two other storage scrolls, he couldn't be completely sure this seal would hold the large quantity of stuff he had before him. This would be the real test, and he was one hundred and thirteen percent ready for it. He was counting on this to work as his prank wouldn't work without it. There was just no way Naruto would be able to carry all the stuff needed to complete the prank without drawing some form of unnecessary attention. Not if he carried it around the Village. He was already considered public enemy number one. He couldn't so much as hum suspiciously without the Hyuuga Police taking him in for questions. So yeah, this required the upmost care.

If his seal didn't work for the real thing, then he'd have to train even harder with the stone chakra exercise. Maybe multiple stones at once or adding a leaf into the mix. That sounded pretty difficult. Naruto released his chakra and let his pebble fall into his hand. While he was growing quite attached to his little friend, maybe he should start doing that anyway. It couldn't hurt to try. Stuffing the stone into his pocket, he turned back to his seal. It was now or never.

"First attempt to seal operation supplies," Naruto dictated as he carefully drew his chakra to his hands and onto his perfectly drawn seal. The scroll glowed red before the black ink spread form the scroll and around his operation supplies. He tried to make the necessary comments as he watched, absentmindedly speaking into the recorder as he dictated everything that happened. He'd learned pretty quickly that if he didn't say everything that happened in as much detail as possible, then it was a lot harder to replicate it. Watching intently he nearly jumped into the air in excitement as the objects grew red before disappearing into the scroll. He'd done it! Awesome! "Success!" he exclaimed into the recorder. He'd probably regret the volume when he listened to it later, but for now he didn't care.

Now, before he started to celebrate his success prematurely, Naruto had to make sure he could release it. There was really no point in making a storage seal he couldn't undo. He'd just end up losing all his stuff. Going through the same process, Naruto slowly released the scroll dictating the process as he worked. In a flash, all of his supplies reappeared in front of him. "Release of seal, super successful," he recounted in joy. This was a major accomplishment. After he completed his prank of the century, he was definitely going to treat himself to Ramen Ichiraku. Briefly inspecting his supplies to make sure there was nothing missing or broken, Naruto was excited to note that everything looked great. Now was the time to begin.

Naruto quickly resealed his supplies and continued with the mission. "Operation Honey and Feathers is a go." It was finally time to get that no good Sensei back. No one kicked him out of class for no good reason without suffering the consequences.

* * *

_**Day before Genin exams**_

Pacing back and forth in his favorite clearing, Naruto couldn't seem to calm down. He'd been trying to figure out how to do the stupid bunshin technique for months now and still he was no closer to a perfect clone then he was then. Well maybe that wasn't giving himself enough credit. Currently he could make a passable clone… if it didn't move.

"Shimatta," he cursed as he continued pacing. "Why won't this work?" he questioned aloud. He'd tried everything. From adding as much chakra as he could manage to added as little as physically possible. Heck, he'd even gone to Iruka-sensei as a last resort and even _he_ couldn't help.

This was it. His last chance. His last day to get this right. And for the first time Naruto thought he might actually _fail_ at something. Sure he'd had setbacks, lots of them. But he'd never out right failed to do anything. He'd always found a way.

Squaring his shoulders, Naruto turned to face his flawed clone. "There is always a way! Believe it!" he declared as he pointed a finger to his near perfect lookalike. Even if he didn't see it now, he knew there would be a way. For now, he just hoped this imperfect image would be good enough.

* * *

**KJ's Japanese Corner**

(1) _Kanji and that other stuff._ Kanji or Chinese characters is one of the three forms of the Japanese alphabet. The other two forms being Hiragana and Katakana. Kanji comes almost (some characters have slight modifications in addition to the change of Chinese writing to a simplified system) directly from Chinese writing. As Kanji was imported from China, it was the first known writing system for Japan. Hiragana came later having been developed by women nobles as a simplified way of writing. It is far more similar to western alphabets with characters associated with sounds instead of the ideograms style of Chinese characters. Finally, Katakana is used to transcribe foreign language into Japanese and write loan words (i.e. bread – pan, and a shit tone of other words like video games and wrestling). I could go into far more detail, but I think you get the idea. Naruto would be able to read just fine in Hiragana and Katakana, but his Kanji would be extremely limited.

(2) _Ohayou, koniichi, konbanwa._ These are common greeting for a particular time of day (i.e. good morning, good afternoon, and good evening). Additionally, ohayou is the informal version of good morning (ohayou gozaimasu being the formal version). Naruto being Naruto wouldn't give his Sensei the proper respect by using the formal version. He should, of course, but he wouldn't.

(3) _Gomen versus sumimasen._ They both mean sorry, however, when they are used differs greatly. Gomen is the informal usage (gomen nasai). Additionally, gomen nasai is much more casual than sumimasen.

(4) _Reading in Japan._ There are two methods of writing and reading in Japanese. One, is the western style (USA, Europe, Russia, etc.) reading from left to right and side to side. The second more traditional way is right to left and up and down (this is a column versus rows thing, but I can never remember which one is which. How I was any good at linear algebra I'll never know...). So, if you notice Naruto looking off to the left while reading then good for you. He looks that way because that's the way he would actually read the book. It would be like if an American looked causally to the right after reading a sentence, it's the natural way to turn your head while reading and thus the reason why Naruto does this earlier in the chapter. If you didn't notice, well, we can't all be perfect. [Note: BloodRed13 wrote half of this cultural note, while I (KJ) wrote the other half. Can you tell who wrote which? *give creepy wink* - because all winking is creepy...]


	4. Interlude I

**AN**: Okay, so first of all, this does not count as a chapter. This is a little extra and the regular installment will occur tomorrow. So please do not freak out about getting this early because you will still be getting Chapter 4 on Monday. Secondly, this really shouldn't be a surprise as I hinted about it before. Now, typically we like to get these little extras out in the middle/near the end of the work week, but I'm a horribly slow editor so that didn't happen as planned. If you're wondering, this is not a one time thing so look forward for more of these little extras throughout our journey. Also, we will not be including word translations or a Culture Corner in these extras. So if you have questions, either (1) one ask us or (2) two look it up. Anyway, enjoy reading.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto…

* * *

Interlude I: (Pranking) Training Session

_Part Zero: Operation Honey & Feather _

"_First attempt to seal operation supplies… Success!" _

"_Release of seal, super successful," he recounted in joy. This was a major accomplishment. After he completed his prank of the century, he was definitely going to treat himself to Ramen Ichiraku. Briefly inspecting his supplies to make sure there was nothing missing or broken, Naruto was excited to note that everything looked great. Now was the time to begin._

_Naruto quickly resealed his supplies and continued with the mission. "Operation Honey and Feathers is a go." It was finally time to get that no good Sensei back. No one kicked him out of class for no good reason without suffering the consequences._

With his supplies resealed, Naruto placed the scroll in his pants before making his way to his target location. As master pranking rule number forty stated, always know your target's typical patterns and usual mannerisms before pranking. As a result, Naruto had spent that last week studying his Sensei's movements inside _and_ outside of the classroom.

Before he'd gone on his week-long surveillance venture, Naruto's initial reaction had been to prank the man at his home. Theoretically, the location was perfect as firstly, it was the easiest place to excess which would, secondly, require next to no research before he could execute his prank. Sure Sensei would likely have several low key traps on the place, but those wouldn't be all that difficult to bypass. After all, _nothing_ was harder to get around then the traps at the Uchiha Compound or the Hyuuga Police buildings, and he'd still managed to make it past those. Of course that was before they'd improved their security, little details that really didn't matter much as he was sure that with enough time he'd get around those new ones too.

So, yeah, Naruto was fairly confident that he could have done it, broken into, I mean infiltrate his Sensei's apartment, but with no witnesses where was the fun in that? After all, a prank was only truly great if it had someone to witness it. That level of embarrassment couldn't go without an audience. That was the whole point of master pranking rule number fifty-six point five.

So Sensei's apartment was out, and of course it went without saying that the classroom was out too since Sensei would be expecting something from there. Although that didn't mean that Naruto couldn't have hit him there. In fact targeting the classroom would have added a level of difficulty that would have made the prank all the more fun with the end result even sweeter.

However, that type of prank would have tacked on another _week_ of preparation. There was just _no way_ he was going to wait that long. Especially not when it was still possible for Sensei to catch on and notice it before the prank went off. There was just no way he could guarantee a successful prank with Sensei this alert. Even _he_ was willing to admit that his trap making and setting skills were only so good.

Hopefully, with the new seals he was learning, that would no longer be the case, but that was neither here nor now. Improving his pranking skills would come with time. He could wait on something like that. It wasn't like he really _wanted_ to pull another classroom prank so close to the last one anyway. That type of decision would probably not sit so well with Jiji and he was already going to be on thin ice when he finished this prank. No need to make it worse.

Which left him with only one more real option, follow Sensei around to find his favorite hangout. In all honesty, it hadn't actually taken the full week to figure out Sensei's favorite after class hangout. The man was like clockwork with his habits and the Shitaki Bar & Grill was just a big part of it. Personally, Naruto thought the man spent a little _too_ much time at the mostly ninja bar, but hey what did he know? He didn't usually make a habit of clocking how much time the average ninja spent at bars so he didn't really have that much to compare it to.

Of course it didn't particularly matter if Sensei had a drinking problem or not, that really hadn't been what Naruto had truly been paying attention to over the last week of following the man. No, in the hours of study he'd done he'd figured out a number of things. Firstly, the owners were civilians. A rather average couple that had three kids of which none particularly looked like they wanted to join the ninja ranks and only one, the youngest, that looked even remotely interested in taking over the family's legacy.

Naruto shrugged at that thought. He really couldn't understand why anyone would want a boring old civilian life. Even at the orphanage, most of the kids there had either wanted to join the ranks of the Hyuuga Police force or that of the Konoha Ninja force. Of course maybe that was because none of the orphans he knew ever thought they had a chance at apprenticing with a merchant, but he was pretty sure it had more to do with the fact that being a regular old civilian was just capital b, _Boring_.

Of course all that meant was he wouldn't have to worry about the owners getting in his way. They were in no way equipped to even _try_ to stop him. However, that did leave the second piece of information he'd gained from his week of observation, the patrons. From what he could see, the patrons were comprised of mostly Chuunin and older Genin. They made for a loud, boisterous crowd, but other than that didn't really pose much of a threat to his mission.

So in a nutshell, he'd learned that it wouldn't take much to infiltrate the place. Which was a good thing, because that meant he wouldn't have much to worry about on his way out either. While escape was always the more difficult of tasks that difficulty was limited to how skilled the shinobi were who would be chasing him. Luckily for him, he'd been out running Genin since he was six and Chuunin since he was nine. He wouldn't have a problem escaping from the patrons from this bar.

Of course that didn't mean he wasn't limited because no matter the rank of the shinobi they were still shinobi. Which meant they would likely be able to spot a rig if it was on the front door no matter how well he hid it. So that spot was simply out of the question. Another option was to target a chair, but that wasn't really a good idea either. Mostly because in the several days that he'd been following Sensei, the older man hadn't sat in the same seat twice.

Sure, he typically sat in the same area, and Naruto _could_ target all the chairs in that area, but that really wasn't the point. He wanted to prank _Sensei_ not Sensei and a bunch of random shinobi. And though it might have been easier, he wasn't about to go back on his master pranking rules now. No, he was going to follow rule number fifty-one and only prank Sensei, his intended target.

Which left him with one more option, the _bathroom_ door. Though it was a high traffic area, the bathroom door had the added advantage to be tucked fairly far back into the bar. Which in the end was for the best because it meant that the darkened bar interior would help hide his trap as opposed to the neatly lit front entrance. Now all Naruto had to do was peg how long it took his Sensei before the man needed to relieve himself.

Surprisingly, Naruto was able to uncover a pattern fairly quickly. Taking only two days before he realized that Sensei must have had a bladder the size of a walnut because the older man was up and running after every two drinks laughing off his inability to house more fluids in his body the whole way to the door. Naruto had frowned at that knowledge as it put a rather large damper on his timetable.

While Sensei always managed to stay for at least two drinks, he didn't _always_ have the same number each day. Sometimes it was just the two, while others he had upwards of five. Though Naruto had been unable to figure it out while he was following the older man, he had discovered a rather useful pattern after he'd reviewed all his notes. Sensei stayed the longest right after he assigned the class some lengthy homework assignment and he stayed the shortest amount of time on quiz days.

That of course had been the primary reason, Naruto had chosen today of all days to prank Sensei. Though Naruto had skipped the second half of class to prep for this prank, he'd been there long enough to receive the night's homework assignment from Sensei. Given the length of the assignment they'd received earlier that day, Sensei was bound to spend _hours_ at his favorite bar. Naruto would have at least two tries at it. Which was altogether a good thing considering the rather large time variant it took Sensei to finish each drink.

Unfortunately after only a week's worth of study, Naruto couldn't narrow down the rate of consumption any further than a fifteen minute interval. It was a time frame that he'd already tested out, having already done two dry runs with varying degrees of success, but he was unworried. He'd picked today of all days to compensate for that flaw in his plan. All he needed to do now was get there, work his magic using the ample shadows in the already darkened space and watch Sensei to figure out just how drunk the man was to estimate how many drinks he'd had.

That last part would be the easiest because all he had to do was listen in on the man's conversation. As it turned out, Sensei was a loud, boastful drunk. As such, the number of drinks he'd consumed was directly proportional to how loud he was as well as the frequency of the phrase 'when I was a Genin'. Easy enough to follow.

Of course he'd have to be careful when activating the trap. This was a public bathroom after all, and it would do him no good to hit the wrong person just because he wasn't paying enough attention. Naruto sighed. It certainly would have been nice if he had a seal that could do if for him. Something that could sync to a specific person taking out that variable so he wouldn't need to worry so much. Yeah, he would definitely need to make something like that, but that type of thinking was for another time. Right now he needed to take it one step at a time. And that first step happened to be this, Operation Honey & Feather.

Naruto paused outside of the Shitaki Bar & Grill, glancing up at the sun in an attempt to get a rough estimate of the time. Man, he really needed to get a watch. Shaking that thought aside, Naruto finished his estimation. If he had this right, then Sensei had another two hours of class left before the rest of his classmates were dismissed. That gave him two hours plus the hour and a half of extra time that Sensei spent going over notes and helping anyone, well _almost_ anyone, who wanted the help after his lesson. Nodding to himself, Naruto clicked the tiny red button on his recorder as a thought struck him. "Note to self, design a timing and activation seal… Also, think about adding some type of personal recognition thingy later."

With one quick click, Naruto stopped recording. Melting into the shadows as he entered the bar. Now was time for setup.

* * *

Less than an hour later found Naruto back outside of the bar attempting to find something else to do to fill his time. 'Well, I can't just sit here twiddling my thumbs,' he thought as he pushed off the side of the building. 'You know, I am kind of hungry,' he continued as he headed towards he's favorite food stand, slinking through the crowds in an attempt not to be seen. Pranking was fun and all, but it often didn't leave time for much else, like lunch. A low rumble filled the air causing Naruto's ears to burn red. "Yeah, food sounds like a great idea," he mumbled softly to himself with an embarrassed pat to his stomach.

Digging into his pockets, Naruto checked to make sure he had enough for at least one bowl. After a few moments of fruitless searching, he managed to come up with a couple of crumpled up ryo, not nearly enough for even the cheapest bowl. 'Dang, looks like I left Gama-chan at home,' he thought before swiftly changing directions while he could sometimes talk the old man out of a free bowl of ramen, it wasn't always a sure thing. Plus, he was supposed to still be in class. The old man might chase him away on principle and where would that get him? Just a half hour wasted when he had a perfectly good supply back at his apartment.

'Actually, on that thought, I should probably be more careful,' Naruto thought as he moved closer to the surrounding buildings, blending into the shadows. As had become a rather annoying occurrence, if he got spotted by the Hyuuga Police, especially during Academy hours, they would often apprehend him. He didn't even have to be doing anything wrong anymore! What was the world coming to when a boy couldn't walk the streets of his ninja village without being molested!

Naruto shook his head at the notion as his eyes landed on three of that horribly familiar gainsboro colored uniform. 'It just wasn't right,' he thought as he easily circumnavigated the trio, their light gray uniforms a dead giveaway that they weren't too high up on the food chain. Continuing towards his apartment, Naruto sped up the pace. He may have avoided a completely unwarranted capture, but as long as he was out in the open he couldn't really relax.

* * *

Two hours later and Naruto's hopping from his apartment, having eaten, restocked his supplies as well as inventoried everything he would need to buy or make to replenish his supplies. While he was fairly certain he'd be able to afford everything he needed if he shopped correctly, he was definitely looking forward to his birthday when Jiji managed to get him a little more for his stipend. From what he could tell, he was going to need the extra money to pay for the sealing supplies he'd need.

Of course none of that really matter right now, not when he had a prank to finish. Sticking to the shadows, Naruto made his way back to Sensei's favorite hangout. As long as he didn't look too suspicious the Hyuuga Police really couldn't stop him. It wasn't Academy hours after all, he was allowed to walk the streets of Konoha.

Stepping out of the shadows, Naruto fell into step with the late afternoon crowds. Blending in as he followed the rather rowdy group to the street he needed to be on. 'Looks like everything's going according to…'

Startled out of his thoughts at the rather hard pull to the back of his jacket, Naruto stared up into pale white eyes and a blank face. 'Nan da?' he questioned as confused eyes met the stern stare glaring back at him. "Uzumaki-san what are you doing in this part of the village?"

Mouth open, an easy excuse ready and waiting to fall from his lips, Naruto was interrupted by Hyuuga-san's blue eyed partner. "Only bar 'n grills are on this street, Uzumaki-san. All of which require _adult_ status to enter. Last time I check that didn't include _you_," he stated, finger poking Naruto in the chest.

Naruto glared at him. The man wasn't a Hyuuga, but he sure was mean enough to get along with them just fine.

Focusing back on Hyuuga-san, Naruto attempted to wiggle out of his grip. He really couldn't afford to get taken to the Hyuuga Police Headquarters. He had a hard enough time escaping the regular Police Towers as it was. And if he still planned to prank Sensei tonight then he wouldn't have the time to work around the added security of HQ. 'Shimatta!' Naruto internally cursed as Hyuuga-san's grip tightened. It looked like he was going to have to talk his way out of this one.

"Oh come on Nii-san, Hyuuga-san, there's nothing wrong with me taking a little walk. No need to get so handsy," he complained, attempting to keep his tone light and sweet. By the look on Nii-san's face, he didn't think he was fooling either one of them.

"Is that so," Nii-san began a frown pulled firmly on his face. "Then perhaps we can help you get there. Where did you say you were going again, Uzumaki-san?"

"I, ah, I didn't. I'm not really walking _towards_ anything per se, just…talking a stroll. I'm allowed to do that you know."

The Hyuuga and his partner exchanged looks. "A stroll huh?"

"Yeah, it's not a crime," Naruto nodded confidently. There was no way they could take him in for just walking around Konoha, not outside of Academy hours.

"Well, I do believe that's probable cause, Keigo-san," Nii-san stated, looking straight over Naruto's head.

"Hey wait! What ya mean probable cause!? I'm just _walking_! I'm just out to go to the _park_," he yelled, flailing his hands about as Hyuuga-san lifted him higher off the ground.

"Try again Uzumaki-san, the park isn't anywhere near here," Nii-san replied, signaling his partner with a nod. "We're taking you in before you can get into any more trouble."

Dangling in the air as they moved, thankfully not in the direction of HQ, Naruto glared up at his capturer. "Is this really necessary?" he complained, a hand pointed accusatorily at the offending fist still holding him above the ground.

"Simply protocol, Uzumaki-san," Hyuuga-san stated as they approached the nearest Hyuuga Tower, the glaring number three staring down at him.

'Shimatta!' Naruto cursed, a pout slowly forming on his face. 'This is all I need, and on the cusp of such a great prank! Absolutely wonderful,' he thought as they crossed the threshold, not bothering to glance around the place. It wasn't like this was anything he hadn't seen before. He wasn't _exactly_ a stranger to any of the Towers, not by any stretch of the word.

And honestly, the Hyuuga's were just really poor designers at least that was _his_ expert opinion. Basically, if you've seen one boring Tower, you've seen them all. And he would know. Naruto was pretty sure he was the _only_ person to ever be taken to every tower in Konoha. That was an accomplishment he was pretty proud of for obvious reasons.

Naruto didn't bother to look up until he was dropped, rather rudely, on to a familiar hard metal chair. 'Ah, interrogation room nine,' he thought with a quick glance around. 'Looks like it's my lucky day,' he finished with a grin on his face. Nine _was_ his lucky number after all.

Nii-san plopped down into the seat across from him, his light blue eyes attempting to borrow holes into Naruto's head. Naruto was wholly unfazed by his attempt, amateur.

"So, what's the charge?" Naruto grinned. He hadn't actually done anything yet and he hadn't prank anyone in over a week. They had nothing on him and he had absolutely nothing to worry about. He had this in the bag.

"Oh, don't worry. We don't need you to confess to your crimes. I'm sure some civilian's already reported you. Just sit back while Keigo-san checks to see what trouble you've managed to do today. At this rate, we'll have you sitting in front of Hokage-sama in less than an hour."

"I shall be but a moment, Kouga-san," Hyuuga-san announced before exiting the room.

Naruto's grin only widened as he leant back in the hard seat, kicking up his feet to rest them on the table between them. Luck was _definitely_ on his side today.

"Go head, I've got all day," Naruto lied easily, he'd learned early on that cocky was the best way to deal with the non-Hyuuga members of the Police Force. "But, you'll be letting me go in half an hour, tops. Do they still make _you_ issue the apology or does your Sergeant have to do it? Funny, but I can't seem to remember," he finished with a smirk, happy to see the red coloring his cheeks.

"Laugh all you want, Uzumaki-san, but it won't get you out of this room any faster. We both know you're up to no good," Nii-san replied, his tone even despite the fury Naruto could see burning in his eyes. Naruto nodded once. Nii-san certainly managed to keep his cool. All things considered, that was pretty impressive. He might actually go pretty far within the Hyuuga Police.

"Maybe, but that doesn't change the fact that _I_ haven't done anything today. You'll see," Naruto finished, glancing around the room until his eyes landed on the surveillance camera in the corner. Grinning at the camera, Naruto retreated to his thoughts. This was taking up a lot of time, but not too much. If he was careful, he should still be able to make it to the bar before his missed both of his chances to get back at Sensei.

Soon enough, Hyuuga-san was poking his head back into the room. "Kouga-san if you would," the man stated quickly, cutting off his partner before Nii-san could get a word in. With a nod, Nii-san left, but not before threatening Naruto against escape which was of course entirely unnecessary. He only ever tried to escape when he was actually guilty of something after all it wasn't really a loss until he was standing in Jiji's Tower.

Minutes later the door reopened and Naruto's smirk grew wider. While Hyuuga-san wasn't giving much away, Nii-san was an open book. And right now, he didn't look all too pleased.

"So, what's the damage?"

"Uzumaki-san, if you will," Hyuuga-san stated, pointing towards the open door.

"Of course I will, Hyuuga-san," Naruto replied, grin still lighting up his face as he hopped from his chair, hands stuffed firmly into his pocket.

The walk back to the entrance was silent and awkward and Naruto loved every moment of it. Pausing at the door, he waited. This was the Hyuuga Police. An apology was expect. After all, it was the _polite_ thing to do.

"Gomen, Uzumaki-san," Nii-san ground out, anger clear in his stance as he forced the apology from his lips.

"Why thank you ever so much," Naruto laughed before starting in the opposite direction of where he really needed to go. "Told you, you'd be giving me that apology, Nii-san," he called over his shoulder as he sped up his pace. He needed to get out of sight before Nii-san actually lost his cool.

Sticking to the shadows, Naruto spent another ten minutes heading in random directions before finally making his way back to the bar. He may have gotten away from the Hyuuga Police once today, but he wasn't naïve enough to think they wouldn't have someone following him. Like master pranking rule number forty-seven stated: don't make risks you don't have to take. So even if no one was on his tail, which he highly doubted, his pranking skills were legendary and they would be fools to not track him, he wasn't about to risk it.

Finally, Naruto made it back to the Shitaki Bar & Grill. Operation Honey & Feather was a go. Creeping into the dark confines of the bar, Naruto made his way towards his rehearsed spot. He may have been late, but that didn't mean he was out of the game yet.

Listening in to Sensei's conversation, Naruto smirked. The man was loud, far louder than his two drink minimum. And even better, it seemed Sensei couldn't go two sentences without mentioning his time as a Genin. If he had this right, then that drink Sensei was knocking back was likely the fourth one of the night.

As it so happened, luck was on his side because no sooner had Naruto made his calculation, his Sensei was getting up from his table, laughing loudly as his friends teased him as he made his way to the restroom. Waiting on the tips of his toes, Naruto watched as his Sensei makes his way to the door. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Sensei was in place, right next to the restroom door. With no one else near enough to get caught in the blast, Naruto released his trap.

Bang, the sound was soft yet effective, stopping Sensei in his tracks as honey shot out, covering the man in the process. Acting with the reflexes of a Chuunin, Sensei ducked out of the way, stepping to the, conveniently, only available side. Just as expected, the last half of his trap released, goose feathers falling like rain as they stuck to the honey like glue. Naruto grinned wide, admiring the new look his Sensei was sporting. It had all happened in a split second, but it was one of the most satisfying seconds of his short life.

Glancing around at the residue of the trap, honey and feathers littering the already dank floor of the bar, Naruto almost felt sorry for the mess, _almost_. Unfortunately, it was just the sad fact of life. In the pursuit of justice, sometimes there was collateral damage. Of course from the volume of the laughter booming throughout the bar, Naruto didn't think too many people would care. Many the owner's kids when they had to clean up the mess, but hey, they'd get over it.

"Looks like Uzumaki got you good!" Naruto heard as he headed for the door. It was always good having his work recognized.

Slinking through the shadows, Naruto couldn't help the little laugh that escaped him. He'd gotten Sensei pretty good. That was a job well done in his book.

Plus, it had been really fun. Sure he'd have to be more careful about the Hyuuga Police, but he'd gotten to do an awesome prank. Better yet, the pranks would only get better with each new seal he learned. He only wished he could do more than just the one per new seal. Still, he'd promised Jiji he wouldn't go overboard so he wouldn't. He was Uzumaki Naruto and he _never_ went back on a promise. Plus, there were always ways around it. After all, he never said anything about going overboard on _one_ prank.

Grinning widely, Naruto took out his recorder. "Note to self, go all out on the next prank, uh I mean training session."


	5. The Genin Exam

**AN: **Hello all, glad you're still with us. Just some general updates. Again, we will regularly post on Monday's, however, starting this week our tumblr page will be updated first. Now that could mean the tumblr page gets updated late Sunday night or really early Monday morning or like today, this page gets updated in the late afternoon. This is just to promote the page because the full experience for this fic can be found there (i.e. pictures, videos, and music that goes with each chapter as well as extra content). Again, the tumblr page is hyuugatheeldestson and there's a direct link on my profile page. Anyway, read and enjoy.

**PS** - We own nothing and we gain nothing from writing this fanfiction.

**PPS** - Also, here's the list of new Japanese words which I find rather ironic because they're almost exclusively just different ways of saying thank you:

Doumo, arigatou, doumo arigatou, arigatou gozaimasu, and doumo arigatou gozaimasu - these are all ways of saying thank you (see culture corner for more information)

Ohayou gozaimasu - this is a very polite (formal) way of saying good morning

Konichiwa - good afternoon

Senpai - senior (at work or at school); superior (honorific)

* * *

_**Arc – Genin Exam**_

_Chapter Three – The Genin Exam_

The pale moonlight was bright in the night sky illuminating the world beneath it. Stationary buildings reflecting the soft light left the area in a strange eerie glow. Its penetrating white light illuminating the resting inhabitants within the confines of each imposing structure.

Hinata slept peacefully under the pale glow of the moon. The slow steady flow of her breathing went undisturbed as time ticked by slowly. One invariable breath after another. One unfaltering heart beat after another. She slept on. Suddenly, without visible change and without any noticeable indicators, her eyes snapped open. And she awoke.

Staring at the plain tiled ceiling above her, Hinata made no move to rise. She held still. Gazing motionlessly at the ceiling, she did not bother to look around. After all, she had little reason to, long ago having memorized the simple layout of her quarters. Besides the oak desk pressed against the far wall, there was nothing of note within the confines of her space. No elaborate paintings to gaze upon. No colorful decorations to break the endless expanse of monotony. Not even a clock placed high upon a wall or low upon the small bedside table. There was nothing.

Of course, she'd long ago come to terms with the lack of décor. As Otou-sama always said, the world was filled with distraction. There was no need to bring it into one's only calm space. Of course, now that she was older, she also realized the political reasons for living minimally. In a ninja village within a prominent ninja clan, those of power and wealth were frowned upon if they highlighted their elevated status with petty displays of frivolous artifacts. A leader must always put the needs of their people above the needs of their own. As such, interesting artifacts and paintings had no place within the main house manor, much less her own quarters.

It wasn't as if she had need for any such articles. She'd spent so little time in her room that paintings and decorations were a waste of resources. She had little use for those types of trinkets and babbles. Additionally, a clock would be another such unnecessary object as she hadn't needed one to aid her in discerning the time for many years. As she'd never been allow the use of one, she'd developed her own means of telling time.

Whether Otou-sama had intended for her to become wholly independent of time devices, a theory she was more than willing to accept given his constant insistence that she be independent in all ways. Or perhaps he had simply wanted to reinforce the importance of patience, she did not know. However, it was because of Otou-sama's strict directives that there would be no visible clocks within the compound that had enabled her to learn the much-valued skill. As such, she currently held no use for the objects.

Inhaling deeply, Hinata estimated the time. 0447. She had another thirteen minutes before she was to begin her day. Thirteen minutes before everything changed, and she wasn't quite sure how she should feel about that. Today would not be like any other day. And unfortunately, she lacked the luxury of knowing that all would return to the same familiar schedule she'd grown so accustomed to tomorrow, or even the next day.

No, today was the beginning of a new stage in her life. Today, she would begin the process of becoming a Genin. Today, she would be one step closer to taking over her clan. One step closer to taking her rightful place within the village. She knew she was ready to take this step. However, that knowledge did not stop the small amount of anxiety from running through her veins.

For almost as long as she could remember, she'd been on a strict routine. It had varied little within the last eight years. And now. Now, that routine would be shattered completely. While she was sure she could force some sort of structure onto her new life, she knew that it would not be the same. There would be no one to usher her from one activity to the next. There would be very little one on one instruction. There would be less time spent under Otou-sama's heavy, analytical gaze. In the eyes of the village and in the eyes of the clan, she would be an adult. She would be officially responsible for her actions as well as the actions of her future teammates.

While she was confident that she would succeed in her future endeavors, these were the tasks that she'd been instructed in for the last eight years, she could not shake the small amount of anxiety that whispered in her ears that she might falter in her path to success. She might stumble on the way and while that would be a minor setback, such a misstep would disappoint Otou-sama. And she could not disappoint him.

She could not disappoint the man that had taken so much of his personal time to painstakingly instruct her in the ways of the clan. Even if she struggled to master a clan technique, he had not given up on her. He had pushed and pushed until she'd gotten it correct, and then he had pushed further so that it was not only executed perfectly, but ingrained in her every movement. No matter what, she could not disappoint him.

Of course she realized that these worries were unfounded. Given what she knew of the Ninja Academy training which was quite a lot due to the fact that she'd spent half a year studying and evaluating the Hyuuga Academy, Police Academy and the Ninja Academy training regiments, she would be hard pressed to disappoint Otou-sama today. All the same, it would have been nice if she had someone to talk to about these fears. However, she was Yotsugi, and the Yotsugi does not fear, at least she doesn't show it.

Of course she might be able to confide in Tatsuki-san, her only confidant within an endless sea of people, but even here she hesitated. She would always be Yotsugi, and as such she would always have certain standards to maintain even with her only confidant. And really, this small anxiety was beneath her. Moreover, she would not be the only person affected by the changes that this day represented. Her routine was not the only one changing today. More so than anyone else in the entire clan holdings, Tatsuki-san's routine would be drastically effected by this inevitable next step.

Hinata could still remember the last time she'd changed her retainer's routine. She'd been six years old and accustomed to her usual wake up time. Thinking she would save Tatsuki-san the trouble of waking her for the day, she had gotten up and ready for the day all by herself. She'd been so proud of her accomplishment that she'd nearly missed the cast fallen look on her retainer's face. Even at such a young age she'd been aware that she'd done something wrong.

It had been then, at the tender age of six, that she'd learned that her actions had consequences. She'd learned that she had to consider all possible outcomes when deciding what to do. She'd realized that just because she _could_ do something, didn't always mean that she _should_. And she'd taken that knowledge to heart.

It was the reason Hinata currently found herself staring at the white tiles of her ceiling though she'd been up and ready to start the day for the last ten minutes. It was why she would continue to lay here for another three minutes despite the fact that she'd long ago memorized the tile layout above her. Even when she was only occupied with her own thoughts, she refused to upset those around her unnecessarily. Boredom was not an adequate reason to cause pain.

Additionally, she found that she quite enjoyed the small amount of happiness she could bestow on those around her. If she could provide that small amount of happiness via her actions, or in this case inaction, then she would do so. Especially if she could do so without resorting to actions unbecoming of the Yotsugi. It was the least she could do.

Motionless, Hinata continued to stare at her ceiling. If she knew Tatsuki-san like she thought she did, then her head retainer would be just a tad bit early to start the day. Hinata listened to the soft, strong beat of her own heart as she waited the last minute before the official start of her day. She would need to modify her morning training schedule if she wanted to use her morning efficiently.

On a normal day, the Ninja Academy started at 0900, but given the nature of today the start time had been pushed back an hour. The theory behind such an action was to give potential graduates the little extra time they might need to prepare for the exam. Whether that was by extra study or simply more rest, it was a nice but misguided notion. In her experience, one extra hour for the average student would make little difference in their overall performance.

The muffled sound of her door sliding open broke Hinata from her thoughts. Tatsuki-san was indeed a little early this morning.

"Yotsugi-dono, it is time to begin the day," Tatsuki-san spoke as she moved about the room getting Hinata's training garbs out in the process.

"Arigatou Tatsuki-san. Your assistance is much appreciated," Hinata responded as she slid out of bed. It was time to face the day.

* * *

"Tatsuki-san, your presence is not required. I am quite capable of walking to the Ninja Academy on my own," Hinata insisted despite the fact that she was positive her retainer would not allow her to make the journey on her own. After all, it would hurt no one to try.

"Hai Yotsugi-dono, you're correct. I have no doubt in your capacity to make the excursion on your own. You are capable of many great things to the honor of our clan. However, as I've reminded you on several occasions, it is my _honor_ to escort you. Given the nature of the day, I would think even Genshirou-sama would grant my small request. Since it's his duty to be an even bigger hard ass than honorable Hiashi-dono, I would hope that you would not deny me this one request," Tatsuki-san replied with a small smile on her lips as she took her customary spot one-step behind and to the right of Hinata.

Tatsuki-san was Tatsuki-san, and her assurance that Hinata would allow her request on this issue was clear in her voice and in her stance. Hinata could no more deny Tatsuki-san the pleasure of waking her up in the morning, let alone a simple request to walk with her as was Tatsuki-san's right as head retainer. Tatsuki-san continued alongside her, knowing already the outcome of her request even if Hinata could not vocalize it. And Hinata did not dare answer her request for fear that emotion might escape her.

Tatsuki-san knew her so well, and Hinata could say that she was perhaps her only friend, if the somewhat distant woman could be called as such. As always she had that innate ability to bring out the very un-Hyuuga like behavior in her. Perhaps it was because Tatsuki-san had been taking care of her for the entirety of Hinata's life. Hinata mentally shook herself of her thoughts. Now was not the time for her to contemplate that oddity. Instead, she started forward, confident that Tatsuki-san would follow without a reply.

"Ah, just as I predicted. Today will be a very beautiful day," Tatsuki-san began as they made their way towards the Academy. "This is a good omen," she nodded not expecting her charge to join in the conversation. This was how most of their conversation went, nowadays. "You shall do spectacularly today greatly honoring the clan," she continued, not at all bothered by Hinata's silence. By now, Tatsuki-san was more than capable of maintaining their one-sided conversation.

"Of course that is to be expected," Tatsuki-san continued, occasionally nodding to a familiar face as they passed. "You have brought our clan the greatest of honors since the day of your birth. Still, for whatever reason, I feel as if you will experience a different kind of challenge today. Something beyond the mental and physical challenges of the Genin exam."

"I, of course, will be faced with the challenge of finding something to do with myself. I think I'll practice with Genshirou-sama. He's always badgering me to spar more with him. It's always 'how do you expect to protect Yotsugi-dono if you do not practice'. I keep telling him that the day you need my assistance is the day that life as we know it will change. Of course, I'll still practice. The physical aspects of training has always been my favorite. And with you beginning your ninja career, I'll have more time to hone my skills. Even so, he keeps forgetting that I have more to do than him. The honorable Hiashi-dono has not needed his direct assistance in years."

Taking a breath, Hinata paused in front of the Academy building. They were there sooner than she would have imagined, but Hinata was unsurprised. She was positive that Tatsuki-san had done that on purpose to distract her from the unknown soon to come. The constant chatter, soft and meant for her ears only, was oddly calming. As much as her life was about to change, it seemed that Tatsuki-san would never change. At least this aspect of her life, the one very permanent fixture would always remain the same.

Tatsuki-san took one-step forward, bringing her level with Hinata, before turning to her charge. "Yotsugi-dono, you have always made the clan proud, and you will always continue to do so because that is who you are. Remember to always hold your head high. You are a Hyuuga. No one is above you," Tatsuki-san softly declared, as she looked straight into Hinata's eyes. Hinata could feel the ghost of the gentle touch that would have rested briefly on her shoulders had they been alone in the solitude of her own quarters. With a short nod, Hinata turned to enter the building, the phantom touch still ghosting along her shoulder. She didn't need to ask to know that Tatsuki-san would be waiting for her when she was done. Some things just didn't need to be said.

* * *

Naruto rushed from his apartment like his life depended on it. How he managed to over sleep was beyond him. He'd set his alarm clock to 0815, a tad earlier than he normally got up, just so he would have enough time to shower, eat and go over his notes one last time. However, he'd slept through his alarm which looking back he wasn't all _that_ surprised. Only now it was 0856, he'd skipped breakfast, barely had enough time for a shower, and hadn't had enough time to even think about grabbing his notes let alone actually read through them before he'd raced out the door. He had less than five minutes to make it to the Academy before Mizuki-sensei counted him absent.

'Where did all my luck go?' he asked himself as he raced down the street. Glancing up at the sky to gage the time, Naruto cursed. 'Shimatta! At this rate, I'm going to be at least five minutes late. Dang it! I just know Mizuki-sensei's going to use this against me, but maybe Iruka-sensei will keep him from banning me from the exam,' he continued as he scaled the side of the nearest building. Sometimes the rooftops really were the best mode of transportation.

Hopping down from the shingled rooftops, Naruto skid to a halt, flinging the door to the Academy open as he sped towards his classroom. Bursting through the familiar doors, Naruto glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. '0903,' he huffed, half bent over as he tried to catch his breath. 'That's close enough that Mizuki-sensei can't kick me out,' he continued, still gasping in large mouths of air. He'd probably just made a new personal best for getting to class.

Before Naruto could apologize for arriving late, Iruka-sensei greeted him from his desk. "Ohayou Naruto-kun, it's so nice to see you so bright and early for the exam."

'Wait, what? Early?' Naruto thought more than a little confused. He was definitely late. "Early?" he questioned aloud.

"The exam doesn't start for another hour," he answered brightly as he sorted pages on his desk. Hopefully there wasn't a written portion to this exam. He really didn't have the attention span to sit down and take another test. Hadn't they just taken one not two days ago? "Mizuki-san told the class yesterday," Iruka-sensei admonished. "Naruto-kun, how many times have I told you not to sleep in class?"

'Wait, what? An hour?' Now he was definitely confused. "I, but… I wasn't…" The disappointing look on Iruka-sensei's face made it obvious there wasn't anything he could say to defend himself. Naruto would get back at Mizuki-sensei for lying to him about something this important. 'Of course, it was only an hour difference, maybe Sensei just isn't all that good at telling time?' he thought, unwilling to waste his pranking allotments on a man that really hadn't been all that mean to him. He was just a stickler for the rules. 'What is this the sixth time Mizuki-sensei's gotten the time wrong?' Naruto asked himself. 'Man, I got to stop asking him what time things start. He's just no good at keeping track of events.' "Oh, okay. You need any help Iruka-sensei?" he asked. It wasn't like there was a whole lot else he could do since he didn't have his notes.

"Sure Naruto-kun. You can help me sort through my papers," Iruka-sensei offered, moving over a little to make room.

Making his way to the desk, Naruto pulled Mizuki-sensei's chair over to the spot Iruka-sensei had made for him. However, before he could plop down and start sorting, his stomach roared in protest. "Hehehe," he laughed while rubbing the back of his head. "Iruka-sensei, you wouldn't happen to have anything to eat would you? I kind of left without grabbing breakfast."

"Well, I was saving this as a gift, but since I'm sure your stomach can be heard from across the building, I think I can give it to you," he replied, digging into his desk to grab the requested items.

"Wait, a gift? I can't take someone else's gift," Naruto stated quickly. Gifts were too important to him for him to take that away from someone.

"Don't worry about it. It's just dango," Iruka-sensei consoled, but with one look at Naruto's worried face he continued. "I'll let you in on a little secret," he said as he leant in, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. Naruto leaned in excitedly. "I can always buy more."

Naruto nearly fell out of his seat at that (Sensei could be so silly) before righting himself to reply. "Well, okay as long as you can get more," Naruto conceded before taking a handful of the sweet sticks. It had been a while since he'd eaten dango. "This is pretty good," he complimented, mouth half full of the sticky dessert. "Not as good as ramen, but what is?" Looking at the large number of the treats, Naruto couldn't help but ask another question. "Why do you have so many of them?"

"Well, the person these were originally for _really_ likes dango," Iruka-sensei replied while grabbing a stick for himself. "She doesn't particularly care what flavor you get her as long as there's a lot of it."

"Whatever Iruka-sensei," he replied, stuffing another stick into his mouth. He wasn't going to complain about free food.

Lost in his task, talking with his favorite Sensei, Naruto didn't notice the passage of time until the sound of the door opening signaled the first student. He didn't bother to look up. It wasn't like the early bird was going to want to talk to _him_. All of his friends liked to take their time making it to class. Kiba-kun was lazy, waiting until the last minute like Naruto normally did. Shikamaru-kun liked to sleep too much and Choji-kun always waited for Shikamaru-kun so they could walk together. Plus, he wouldn't have to move until Mizuki-sensei arrived. Why get up now?

Of course that sentiment lasted only the two seconds it took for Iruka-sensei to glance up at the newcomer. Instantly, the startled man jumped from his seat as he hastily made his way to the door. Now that had never happened before.

Looking up from his task, Naruto's eyes met the cool stare of Hyuuga-hime. Decked in what he could only assume were her ceremonial robes as she looked more suited to start a high council meeting than to take down multiple missing-nins. Hyuuga-hime stood before Iruka-sensei as he introduced himself.

"Ohayou gozaimasu Koushi-sama. I'm Umino Iruka, and it is a pleasure to have you join us today," Iruka-sensei greeted with a slight bow. "Mizuki-san, my assistant, handles the roster. Once he arrives, he will be able to tell you the order the test will be given. Please, sit wherever you like and if anyone bothers you unnecessarily please don't hesitate to call upon me. I will be happy to assist in any way I can," Iruka-sensei finished with one more, short bow.

"Doumo arigatou Iruka-sensei," Hyuuga-hime replied with a tilt of her head before she turned to find a seat. Taking a calming breath, Naruto had to stop himself from jumping from his seat and running to join Hyuuga-hime by the wall in the front row in the seat she'd chosen. If he made too big a commotion about this, then he was sure Iruka-sensei would stop him before he even got within a yard of Hyuuga-hime. For once, he'd been listening to the conversation, and he wasn't willing to risk having Iruka-sensei apprehend him because he thought Naruto was being bothersome.

Looking back at the papers that littered his workspace, Naruto made a point of not glancing in Hyuuga-hime's direction as he tried to get a little more work done. He waited until Iruka-sensei had sat back down and then he waited a little longer before he made his move. Pushing the pages in front of him away, he leant back in his chair as he turned to face his favorite instructor.

"Okay Iruka-sensei, I think I've worked enough to pay off my breakfast," he stated as he moved to get up, making it a point not to look over in Hyuuga-hime's direction.

"Yeah, I think you're right. Thanks for the help Naruto-kun and good luck with the exam. I know you can do it," Iruka-sensei replied, looking up briefly to wish him luck. "And Naruto," he added before Naruto could fully slide out of the chair. "Stay out of trouble."

"Sure Iruka-sensei, you know me," he replied with a grin as he took a step backwards.

"Yeah, that's the problem," Iruka-sensei muttered before returning to his work.

Taking another deep breath, Naruto resisted the urge to run over to Hyuuga-hime. He wasn't a kid anymore. He was about to become an official ninja of the village. He would have to start acting like it.

Finally, after what felt like forever, Naruto made his way over to the lone figure in the room. Plopping himself down into the chair right next to her, he happily threw himself into friendly conversation.

"Hiya Hyuuga-hime, long time no see," he greeted animatedly. He watched as she turned to him, a thoughtful look to her eyes as she took a moment to respond. For a moment he'd thought he'd have to re-introduce himself but just as he was about to open his mouth she spoke.

"Hai, it is a pleasure to see you again Uzumaki-san," she greeted formally, but he didn't let the rather cold response stop him. He'd waited two years to see her again. He wasn't about to waste it wallowing on how she'd almost forgotten him. To him, that didn't matter. What was _really_ important was that she _had_ remembered. And next time, it wouldn't take nearly as long for her to remember him. Believe it!

"Yeah, two years is a _long_ time, but I bet you've learned all kinds of neat jutsu. Of course I've been learning some really awesome jutsu too and when we're teammates you'll be glad to have the most awesomest Konoha ninja with you. I can't wait until we're on the same team. It will be _so_ cool. Of course, I'll show you some of my newest jutsus and you can show me some of yours and we'll be the most badass ninja team ever! Believe it," Naruto confessed, his hands moving animatedly as he tried to keep his voice down, not wanting to draw Iruka-sensei's attention.

"Am I to assume that you specialize in Uzumaki clan techniques?" Hyuuga-hime asked as Naruto took a breath. His wide grin only growing when he noted the genuine curiosity shining through her eyes despite the fact that there was no other outward change to her appearance.

"Oh yeah. I'm a fuuinjutsu _master_, the only one in class. You should see some of my awesome moves. They're pretty epic," he boasted, glad to be engaging her in real conversation. She was someone _his_ age, and she actually seemed to be interested in what he had to say. He just knew today was going to be a great day.

"How have you gaged your mastery over the art?" she asked, her voice the same cool aloofness that he'd come to associated with most Hyuugas, but her eyes focused solely on him. He'd never had such undivided attention. It was nice, in an unnerving kind of way.

"Well, I'm the only one in the Academy that can use fuuinjutsu so that makes me a master at it," he defended, completely assured of the soundness of his logic. It had never failed him before, so why now? Besides, he had finished Jiji's training scroll, so that kinda also had to make him a master.

"A monopoly over a ninja skill in the limited pool as defined by the Konoha Ninja Academy does not equate to mastery," Hyuuga-hime countered. He wasn't entirely sure if he should be disappointed that his reasoning had a hole in it or happy that someone was willing to correct a mistake he'd made in his thought process. Only Jiji and Iruka-sensei ever really made the effort.

Hand drawn under his chin, Naruto took a minute to think about what she meant. "Yeah, I guess that's true," he mumbled aloud. "A master of a ninja art has to be the best out of everyone and there are a lot more people than just the students in the Academy," he reasoned as he glanced up to look at Hyuuga-hime. She sat there patiently waiting for him to work it out on his own. She didn't look annoyed or bored or irritated as if he was wasting her time, which took him by surprise. Hyuuga-hime was certainly not like anyone else he'd ever met. "I don't suppose I could measure my mastery based on the village could I?" he asked aloud before shaking his head. His pranks wouldn't count either. "No, that's just as limited. Konoha's just part of a bigger world."

Naruto took another moment of quiet thought before he jumped back up, lifting his head to stare straight at Konoha's Princess. "I've got it! I'll just have to be the best in the _world_ at fuuinjutsu," he concluded, his grin returned, splitting his face wide in happiness.

"An aspiring achievement indeed, however, the world is a large place. How do you plan to gage such a proposal?" she asked. Naruto paused a moment to gage her intent. He expected to see disbelief amongst the lavender swirl of her eyes, but instead all he saw was pure curiosity. Here was someone who did not immediately question his ability to accomplish something. She wasn't trying to be dismissive, or mean. She just wanted to know out of simple curiosity. Grinning ear to ear, Naruto was happy to respond.

"Well that's the easy part," he leaned in closer as he spoke, hands gesturing in the air. "All I have to do is win."

"Win?" she asked simply, mildly confused by the statement.

"Yeah, every fight, every battle, every spar, every mission, inside and outside of the village. If I win then I'm the best. Eventually folks will hear the name Uzumaki and run from fear of my awesomeness. Then I'll become Hokage and you'll admit to everyone that I'm your _best_ friend, the Seal Master of Konoha! Believe it!" he declared, glad others had started to enter the classroom because there was little he could do to mask his excitement.

Before Hyuuga-hime could reply to his bold declaration, Mizuki-sensei appeared in front of them partially out of breath.

"Koushi-sama please forgive my tardiness," Mizuki-sensei apologized in a half bow. "Had I known that you would arrive so promptly, I would have striven to get here sooner. I am Mizuki, the assistant instructor for this class."

"No apology is necessary Mizuki-sensei," Hyuuga-hime replied with a tilt to her head as her entire focus shifted to the nervous man in front of them. Naruto had never seen Mizuki-sensei act like this. He was always so confident and self-assured. Now, well now, he looked like he was about to be punished for failing a class.

"No I insist," Mizuki-sensei protested as he finally rose from his bent over position. "You see my tardiness is not my only failure this morning," he continued, his eyes firmly on the ground. "Please forgive me, but I may have forgotten to add you to the roster. Because of my failure, you will unfortunately be forced to take the exam last." Clearly ashamed of his blunder, although Naruto couldn't see why as now he was likely to have even more time with Hyuuga-hime, Mizuki-sensei bowed again.

"Doumo arigatou Mizuki-sensei for informing me of the situation, however, no harm has been done," Hyuuga-hime replied. Naruto couldn't help but admire the way she handled the older man. He probably would have complained a little but then again, no one was likely to apologize to him for placing _him_ last. Heck, they probably would have placed him last on purpose.

"Doumo arigatou gozaimasu Koushi-sama, you are as fair and benevolent as the honorable Hiashi-sama," Mizuki-sensei added before backing away bowing one more time. He looked relieved, but Naruto couldn't really understand why. It wasn't like he was in trouble for redecorating the Hokage Monument. Oh well, adults could be weird sometimes.

* * *

Hinata stared at the familiar tile of her bedroom ceiling. By her internal clock it was 0413 and she had more than forty-five minutes to lie here and wait. Yesterday had been…well it had been as she had expected in result and yet…it was an interesting experience. Uzumaki-san was an energetic individual to say the least. She would have assumed that the novelty of meeting the Yotsugi would have worn off once the former assistant instructor, Mizuki-sensei, had left, but apparently it had not.

Uzumaki-san had continued to sit and converse with her, speaking animatedly about each of his classmates and Senseis as they sat there to wait. Of course, she was fairly certain he would be devastated when they were placed on separate teams tomorrow. Despite his rather loud boasts over his apparent skill, she doubted that their skill sets would be compatible. No, she would be placed on a tracking team as anything else would be a waste of her considerable talents.

As such, she expected to have the Inuzuka as a definite teammate. As previous teams had shown, Hyuuga and Inuzuka made excellent retrieval specialists. And her other teammate, well if her calculations were correct, then it would likely be the Aburame. With their kikaichuu insect partners, Aburame traditionally made exceptional espionage experts, which would round out the trifecta of sight and smell with the innate sense to feel the location of their insect companions.

Of course this hypothesis was boosted by the knowledge that out of the twenty-six graduate, well twenty-seven now that Uzumaki-san had earned his promotion in such an unorthodox way last night, only nine would seriously be considered for the fast track team promotion. Only three teams would have the potential to actually join the ranks of active Genin while the rest would move forward as inactive Genin learning together in a mass group until they finally gained the necessary skills to succeed in the ninja world.

With nearly all of the prominent Konoha clans present in this current graduating class, it left little room for civilian students to shine. Surprisingly, Uzumaki-san had been more helpful than she could have thought possible. As he divulged what many would see as random bits of information on his classmates, she had noticed the pure detail he'd unknowingly revealed. While overly loud and boisterous, Uzumaki-san was extremely observant, picking up little nuisances that were likely missed by their owner.

Through his assessment, she'd been able to gather enough information to accurately conjecture on the likely team assignments. Given the previously successful partnership of their parents, it was very likely that the Hokage would attempt to recreate that success with a second generation Yamanaka-Nara-Akimichi team. And of course there would be her own tracking team taking the other prominent Konoha clans out of the pool of eligibility. All that left was the Uchiha, who would very likely be the rookie of the year as was typical for a class without a Hyuuga. Knowing the Hokage, he would likely put the Uchiha together with the top ranking Kunoichi and the lowest ranking student in the class.

If she remember Uzumaki-san correctly, the top ranking Kunoichi was a civilian, Haruno-san, and considering Uzumaki-san had been the only student to fail the preliminary Genin exam screening, Hinata was confident in her assumption that while he likely held great potential, he was also probably the lowest ranking student. It was a team selection she was familiar with considering Neji-niisan was on a similar team configuration. From what she could tell of Rock-san, he also held great potential.

While she'd originally thought that having such a team configuration was a hindrance to the superior members, she could now see the logic. Perhaps it wasn't the lowest ranking member that the Hokage placed on the team with the two highest, but the student with the most potential. A student that was hindered by the traditional teaching style of the Academy, but with the correct guidance would rise to the competency level of his teammates with time.

She had seen it with Rock-san, who was always a pleasure to spar with and not just because it had broken up the monotony of her daily routine, and if what she knew about Uzumaki-san was indeed true then she expected to see something similar in his case as well. After all, this was the same boy who warranted an 'apprehend on sight' order for the Hyuuga Police. He may have been a prankster, however, considering his last couple of pranks had required her direct attention, he could at the very least be considered a very skilled prankster.

'Uzumaki-san is definitely…interesting,' she thought as she noted the time. 0457. She wouldn't have to wait much longer. Today was to be a day of rest before life completely changed, but she found she could not give up her morning routine. She wanted to experience the relaxing repetitions of chakra control exercises. She needed the familiar pull of her physical endurance training and the long meditative minutes of stretching that would proceed and follow those activities. She craved that little bit of normalcy all before her morning meal even if the day would be spent shadowing Otou-sama. She may have been one more step closer to taking her rightful place as clan head, but she just couldn't give up this last bit of consistency.

"Yotsugi-dono, it is time to begin the day," Tatsuki-san spoke as she entered the room, her traditional greeting bringing Hinata from her thoughts as she rose from the bed.

"Arigatou Tatsuki-san. Your assistance is much appreciated," Hinata responded automatically, the reply so second nature that she didn't even need to think of the words before they slid from her lips. Today was likely to be another life changing day, but that didn't mean she couldn't hold on to at least some of her favored habits.

* * *

"Tatsuki-san, what time am I to meet with Otou-sama?" Hinata questioned as she sat down to eat the simple morning meal placed on the low table before her. Since Kaa-chan's passing, Hinata typically had only Tatsuki-san for company during her morning meal that was unless Hanabi-chan felt like waking up early to eat with her, which she did on occasion. The morning meal in the Hyuuga clan compound was not as sacred as the evening meal so Otou-sama rarely insisted that they eat together, which Hinata actually didn't mind. It gave her a chance to regroup and prepare for the day after her morning training.

"The honorable Hiashi-dono requests your presence in his office at 0900," she replied as she read off her handy clipboard. It was a relatively new addition acquired when Hinata's advanced age had required the assistance of additional retainers to maintain her packed schedule and her growing household responsibilities. It was a humbling experience to realize that while her responsibilities increased so did those of her closest retainer. She often used that knowledge, the knowledge that she wasn't the only one with growing responsibilities, to get through days where she felt like she might explode. If Tatsuki-san could handle the pressure, then so could she.

Consuming her meal as quickly as decorum would allow, Hinata nodded in understanding. Unfortunately, her training had run a little late, so now, if she was to meet Otou-sama's expectations on punctuality she would have to cut her morning meal short. Again she didn't particularly mind. Punctuality was as important to her as it was to Otou-sama. It was one of the few traits they had in common.

Moments later, her meal completed, she found herself on the other side of Otou-sama's office. Tatsuki-san standing behind her and just to the right, Tatsuki-san knocked before sliding the door open for her, allowing Hinata to enter the room first. She was expected, there was no reason to wait for his permission to enter like some visiting official.

Tatsuki-san took a moment to greet him, before she bowed and backed out of the room. Her job as escort completed, she had other tasks to attend to.

"Reishi, take a seat. There is much that must be accomplished today," Otou-sama commanded with a gesture to the place just in front of his desk, sitting low to the floor. Externally, Hinata moved without faltering, her body more than capable of moving on muscle memory alone. Internally, her head was spinning. This was not the typical place that she took within any meeting with Otou-sama. She always stood or kneeled behind and to the left of him or on some occasions to the left side of his desk. This could only mean one thing and she had been so sure that this would not occur until after team placements following the last hurdle to becoming a Genin of Konoha.

Sliding the neatly folded white robes across his desk, Otou-sama lowered his hard gaze to her smaller form before he spoke. "Reishi, today you take your place officially at my side. As a ninja of Konoha, you will now be seen in the light. Wear your birthright with the pride and dignity of the Hyuuga clan you will now and forever always represent," he declared in short, crisp sentences.

"The honor is well received Otou-sama, however, I have yet to take the final test. Is it not tradition to wait until the completion of the exam?" Hinata asked in the soft, yet firm tone she'd grown accustom to using throughout the years. She was not hesitant, and she was not meek, however, she could not allow her concern to go unvoiced.

"Your final challenge is not but a formality. You are Reishi. You shall not fail," he answered succinctly, gaze hard as he watched her take the white garb. She did not need to open it to know what it was. It was her birthright, the last item that would signify who she was, Yotsugi. She was now an adult in the eyes of the village and the clan.

* * *

"…Then Anko-kun practically groped him where he sat after he'd given her all of those dango." Kakashi paused just remembering the scene and burst out into another fit of laughter. "I know. I told him to only get her ten. That anything more would be seen as more than an apology. But did he listen?" Kakashi shook his head in answer to his own question. "Of course not. I'm starting to think he might actually like the attention."

A faraway look crossed his face as he thought of last night. It had been fun hanging out with Anko and her friends. While not technically that much younger than himself, they felt a world's away. They vibrated with an energy that was lucky enough to not have seen the worst of the world's toughest battles. War, death and destruction ruled a shinobi's life, but it didn't really color your prospective until you reached his age. At least that's how it felt.

So, Kakashi liked hanging out with the younger crowd. They were fun and filled with a fire his generation was slowly losing. While he'd only just recently added Iruka-kun to his short list of friends, he was more than glad that he had. Though he'd only thought to engage the younger man in conversation because his fair treatment of Naruto-kun had warranted it, he'd come to appreciate the man for his own merits. The reason he'd thought to befriend him no longer mattered. What mattered was for the first time in a long while he felt young again, filled with a renewed energy that he hadn't realized he'd been missing.

For the first time in years, he was actually having fun. And that was especially true when Anko came around and brought her fellow kunoichi to hang with his newfound group of friends. From what he'd been able to gather so far in their numerous interactions, it seemed Kurenai-san was a bright and strong young kunoichi. It was just too bad Itachi-kun was taking a team this year. She'd have made a fine Sensei.

Hana-san was also very likely to make waves in the ninja world. From what he'd heard about her skills, he considered it a bit of a shame her talents were wasted as a veterinarian medic-nin. Like many from her clan, she would have made an excellent Hunter-nin. But if that was where her passions lay, who was he to judge. From the buzz surrounding her, she was apparently the best veterinarian medic-nin the village had ever seen. Either way, Anko-kun's friends were both very talented.

"I only wish Itachi-kun had been able to come, but I know he wanted to celebrate his little brother's graduation. So, I completely understand why he couldn't make it, and after today, there's no way he'll want to go out. Still, I think I should be able to get him out tomorrow night. I'll remember to tell you if the plan works, wouldn't want you to laugh at me too bad over there."

Kakashi sobered at the thought of his long dead friend. Obito-kun couldn't be here, and that was his fault. It was times like these when he wished it had been different. Obito-kun would have been a better honorary older brother to Naruto-kun. He would have known what to do and how to help him succeed. Somehow Naruto-kun had passed and that really had nothing to do with him, now he was going to train the boy. Could he make his Sensei proud?

Kakashi's somber moment only lasted a few second before he resumed his previous conversation as if no time had passed at all. "Anko-kun's bet me I can't get him out to the bar. Until the new teams start, she doesn't think anything could tear Itachi-kun away from his team preparations. She's always underestimating me in these type of things. Just because I'm not on the interrogation unit doesn't mean I don't know how to get things done."

Kakashi blinked his normal eye as light shined off the polished stone into his face. "It's past noon already. Where does all the time fly? Guess I should make an appearance even if I already know how this meeting's going to go. Hopefully, I missed the boring parts." Waving to the memorial stone, Kakashi vanished in a swirl of leaves to appear outside of the Hokage's office.

"Go right in Hatake-san. They're waiting for you."

'They're?' Kakashi nodded in thanks only slightly confused. Maybe he'd heard wrong. He only really expected the Sandaime to still be here.

Opening the door, Kakashi was greeted with the sight of two other ninja besides the Hokage.

"Ah, so glad you could make it, Kakashi-kun," the Hokage replied as he took a long drawl from his pipe.

"Well holy crap. Now I've seen everything. Kakashi only fifteen minutes late to a meeting," Asuma commented flippantly as he finished his cigarette, crushed it in his hand before lighting up another.

"Konichiwa Senpai," Itachi-kun greeted politely.

Well damn, seems like the old man pulled a fast one on him. Telling him the meeting started at ten. He should have seen this coming. Next time he'd have to be three hours late to avoid this situation. Kakashi briefly looked back at the door, his best exit, before the Sandaime interrupted his thoughts of escape.

"Since you're all here, I see no reason to wait any longer. We all might as well get this over with. I don't see it taking that long."

"Alright," Asuma replied as he took a draw of his cigarette. "How's this going to work? I heard we were one shy this year. You going to just pick a random?"

"No need. The last graduate managed to sneak by on a technicality."

"Something like Gai's kid?" Asuma asked.

"Something like that," the Hokage answered cryptically. Kakashi had the full story about Naruto-kun's graduation. It was something else alright, but not something he'd think the Hokage really needed to keep to himself. Sharing this particular 'technicality' really wouldn't change much. After all, it wouldn't take long before the whole ninja village was aware of the only Genin to ever learn the kage bunshin no jutsu. Of course, the Sandaime didn't seem to agree with him, as he continued without further explanation. "The team arrangements will be as follows: Akimichi, Nara, and Yamanaka will reform the Ino-Shika-Cho formation; Aburame, Inuzuka, and Koushi-san will form a reconnaissance team; and Haruno, Uchiha, and Uzumaki will form our versatile strategic team."

"Hokage-sama, I would like to respectfully request to teach the versatile strategic team," Itachi-kun appealed immediately. Poor kid wasn't going to like how this went down.

Asuma laughed at Itachi-kun's request. "You mean you want to teach your little brother."

"He would do well under the tutelage of a Sharingan user, not to mention Haruno-san shows a great aptitude for genjutsu in her files, and Uzumaki-san has already shown great potential with the kage bunshin no jutsu, which I am the expert in its usage. All of these, I believe, make me an excellent choice for their Sensei."

Kakashi frowned at Itachi-kun's response. He had the best argument for Naruto-kun, but couldn't use it. Not to mention Itachi was his friend so he couldn't bring up the slight that was his use of the Sharingan. Luckily he didn't have to do anything.

"I'm sorry Itachi-kun, but the Hyuuga's have requested you specifically to teach Koushi-san."

"Nevertheless, Kakashi-senpai has more skills better suited for reconnaissance. He would be a much better choice to teach Koushi-sama."

"Hokage-sama, you ought to tell him the truth," Kakashi interrupted. The Hokage gave him a questioning look, but didn't interrupt. "I've already requested to be Naruto-kun's Sensei. In fact, it was the only reason Hokage-sama could use to convince me to leave Anbu. Hokage-sama has already promised Naruto-kun to me. The Hyuuga request just helps with this situation."

No one moved at Kakashi's omission. It was partly true. He'd discussed the possibility of taking on Naruto-kun as a student. The Hokage had gotten him to agree to at least attempt to take on a whole team as a means of practice. Too bad it hadn't worked out that way.

"Or perhaps the Uchiha clan is again being slighted by its village. I'm sorry Senpai, but my family will not accept this," Itachi softly asserted, his anger clear although his tone remained the same calm cadence he was known for.

"They must as this is not up for debate." The Sandaime ended the conversation with a fierce warning tone to his voice. "Asuma, do _you_ have any problems taking on the Ino-Shika-Cho team?"

"Nope."

"Good, then it's settled. Reform will go to Asuma, Recon will go to Itachi, and Strategic will go to Kakashi. You are all dismissed." Itachi-kun stormed out in the way only he could, deliberate but without hast, with Asuma right behind him, and Kakashi trailing a little after him. "Oh, Kakashi, one more thing." Kakashi turned his head, but didn't slow. "This team is not a suggestion. Pass them."

"If they deserve to be passed, they'll pass." Kakashi didn't wait to hear the Sandaime's response. He would find Itachi-kun tomorrow to make up for this team assignment mishap. Kakashi paused in mid-step as he prepared to shunshin away. He almost felt bad about what he planned to do, but this bet was worth it.

* * *

**KJ's Japanese Corner **(what you might not have known…)

(1) _The levels of thank you._ There are five basic levels of saying thank you in Japanese (we won't include honorific conjugation, but if you want to know more you can always PM or message me). The lowest level (level 1) is doumo. This is the bottom of the bottom equivalent to 'thanks'. Hinata would probably almost never use this form. Level 2 is arigatou. Used in common conversation. It's not as informal as thanks, but not super formal. Level 3 is doumo arigatou, which is a clear thank you. Level 4 is arigatou gozaimasu, which roughly means thank you very much. The highest level of formality and politeness (without going into honorifics), is doumo arigatou gozaimasu. You would use this when you are very thankful for something.

(2) _Hyuuga compound._ From the few scenes of the Hyuuga compound shown in the manga and anime, the compound design is a traditional style. We went one step further by modeling it after the shogun compound. As such, Hinata sleeps on traditional tatami mats, and there are only sliding doors. The minimalist design also comes from this concept. Don't worry if you felt like you didn't get a good feel of the Hyuuga Compound, we'll return to it and gradually describe it in more detail.

(3) _Mizuki-sensei's behavior._ So you may have noticed that Mizuki was acting fairly subservient in this chapter. Well, this all stems from two things, Hinata's position in the village and Mizuki's desire to increase his station in life. While Hinata is extremely unlikely to use her position to either help or hurt another individual, traditionally she could and previous heirs probably have. This is because she has so much power in this village that one word, bad or good, from her would immediately affect others. Mizuki knows this, unlike Naruto, and is attempting to curry favor to improve his position in the village. So now you know.

* * *

**AN:** So now that you've read the chapter I can't safely answer the question that may or may not be running through you head. Why does Hinata's head retainer sound so familiar? Well, the answer is simple, our Tatsuki-san is a similar Tatsuki-san to her Bleach counterpart. Many of her mannerisms and traits are the same. That said, this is not a crossover with Bleach. Simply put, it's just easier to create characters when you have a background to work with. Plus it helps with the visual. So to amend our disclaimer, we own nothing, neither Bleach, nor Naruto, nor any other anime characters that we may rip off in the future. As always. Thanks for reading.


	6. Team Itachi

**AN**: Hello again, we hope you all enjoyed that little interlude the other day, expect more to occur at random throughout this whole process. So first things first, I don't believe we have adequately explained the divergence in Canon. While we won't tell you everything as that's the fun of it, we can tell you the basics. This Naruto Universe is based solely on the idea that the Uchiha are an offshoot of the Hyuuga like they were originally explained to us. In other words the Hyuuga came first. That's it. It's a pretty simple concept but when we thought of it we had to do a lot of changing to the original Canon story. I don't think we've actually given you much, but that's mostly because everything will be explained. If not in this story, then the sequel as this is a trilogy. Anyway, enough of this boring stuff, on to the story.

**PS** - We still own nothing which is really unfortunate cause I at least could use the money.

**PPS** - I almost forgot. One for the full experience check out our tumblr page (HyuugaTheEldestSon - there's a link on my author's page). And two, the list of new Japanese words are blow.

_Denshi jisho _(dictionary):

Kuso – curse word, bullshit, shit, and damn, typically translated as shit

Ane – my older sister (see Culture Corner for more information)

Matte – wait, shortened form, informal form (verb is matsu, machimasu)

-me – derogatory honorific for people you are pissed at (see Culture Corner for more information)

Otouto – my little brother (see Culture Corner for more information)

* * *

_**Arc – Genin Exam**_

_Chapter Four – Team Itachi_

"Oh Kiba-kun, you're so strong," a busty red head panted as she ran a slim hand down Kiba's chest.

"And handsome," her equally busty blond friend added as she too added her hands into the mix.

"Kiba-kun, please take us with your manly, manly ways," the brunette cooed as she pressed her equally busty breasts into his back.

"Ladies, please, there's more than enough of me to go around," he replied, hands groping the warm bodies surrounding him.

"Oh, but we don't want to share," they all said at once. Kiba nearly died from happiness.

'How the hell did I get so lucky,' he thought as the three beautiful babes started to kiss him, their hands wondering different parts of his body. 'Ah, this is the life,' he continued as his hands gripped soft flesh. 'The life of a badass shinobi, nothing could be better.'

"Oh, Kiba-kun, take us. Only the best Hunter-nin in the village is worthy of us," the red head whispered in his ear before gliding her tongue across his cheek.

"Yes, please take us," the blond agreed also running her tongue across his face.

'Oh yeah, this is getting good,' he thought. How lucky was he that he found a bunch of girls that were _actually_ in to the whole face licking thing. From his unfortunately limited experience, most girls just thought that was weird.

However, his cocky grin didn't last long as he felt a wet tongue run across his eye. 'Okay, even _I_ think that's weird,' he thought as his hot babes continued to lick the entire expanse of his face.

"Get up you idiot," the brunette whispered in his ear before licking it.

"Get up you idiot!"

In one giant breath, Kiba violently sat up in his bed. "What the hell?" he yelled as he pushed the three large heads of his sister's ninken away from his face. 'Oh, the Haimaru brothers,' he thought with a sigh. 'And here I thought I was living the life.'

"It's about time you got your lazy ass up," Hana stated as she ran a hand through the fur of one of her devil dogs.

"Go away Hana," he complained as he wiped the dog saliva from his face. This was by far the worst of the different ways his evil sister liked to wake him. Couldn't he just for one night enjoy his dreams?

"Hurry up and get dressed before you're late for team assignments," she continued completely ignoring his previous request.

"Go _away_ Hana," he complained again. Considering the subject matter of his dream, he was in a bit of a pickle and wasn't about to get up so his _sister_ could see.

"Don't forget to be nice to your new teammates you little perv," she added before placing her foot to the side of his head, kicking him harder than was really necessary as it forced him back to his previous prone position on his back before she turned to leave.

'What did I ever do to deserve an older sister like _her_?' he asked the heavens, looking straight up at his ceiling. At least she'd left. Finally, she was done with him. Cocking his head to the side so that he could glance at the clock on his wall, he cursed. 'Kuso, I really am going to be late,' he thought before jumping up from his futon.

Not bothering with a shower, Kiba grabbed the nearest pair of pants and hoped they were clean. He didn't have time to do his usual smell check, so this was going to have to work. Tugging on his pants, Kiba hopped around his room in search of a shirt and his favorite jacket stumbling once before grabbing his shirt and throwing it on. Jumping over a pile of what was probably dirty clothes, Kiba shrugged on his jacket before rushing out of his room and into the kitchen.

Yanking open the fridge door, Kiba spotted half a box of pizza in the back and not much else. "Hana, you were supposed to go shopping while mom's away!" he yelled as he grabbed the box.

"I'm busy you little freak. Some of us are _real_ ninjas," she called back from whatever part of the house she'd disappeared to. A loud bark was heard in the background as one of the Haimaru brothers added his unnecessary agreement into the conversation.

"More like some of us are out all night partying," he grumbled down to Akamaru who was nipping at his uncovered toes. "You know Akamaru, it wouldn't be so bad if she just remembered to stock the fridge. I don't care who she does all night," he complained as he took a large bite out of a cold slice of pizza. It wasn't that he didn't like cold pizza because he loved the stuff. They were just getting dangerously low on food and mom wasn't due back for another week.

"I heard that you little perv," Hana replied with a hard whack to the back of his head as she entered the room.

"Well, I wasn't whispering it," he yelled back, grumbling as he rubbed the back of his head. "If you could remember to feed me while mom's gone then you would live in _peace_," he continued before stuffing his face with another slice of pizza.

"Whatever dweeb. Just hurry up or you're really going to be late," she replied before heading over to the fridge. "Kuso, there really isn't anything in here."

"I _told_ you, but do you _ever_ listen to me? See what I have to deal with Akamaru. This is why I call you the lucky one," he complained after stuffing a third slice in his mouth. He didn't bother to pay attention to the eye roll his sister was giving him right now. He'd seen it dozens of times. He had that shit memorized. "Hey, have you seen my kunai set?" he asked as he grabbed a roll of ninja tape from the bowl on the kitchen counter.

"Yeah, no. What do I look like, your nanny?" Hana replied before stealing a slice of pizza from the box. "Here dweeb, you can borrow mine for luck," she continued as she tossed her kunai set at him.

Completely thrown by the suspiciously kind gesture, Kiba just barely managed to catch it. "Dude, what do I need luck for? I'm already a Genin," he stated while strapping the set to his leg. He wasn't going to waste any time putting it on. He was too experienced in 'Hana behavior' to allow her enough time to change her mind about letting him use it. Her stuff was always awesome, and she _never_ let him use it. So he was going to take advantage of her temporary loss of sanity.

"Yeah, sure, keep on believing that," she added before plucking the last slice from the box.

"Matte, what do you know that you're not telling me?" he accused, not at all happy about being left out of the loop.

"Oh nothing," she nearly sung as she turned to leave the room. "You better get a move on."

"Whatever," he mumbled before hopping off his chair. "Come on Akamaru, we've got team assignments."

With Akamaru stuffed safely into the front of his jacket, the trek to the Academy was a quick one. Trudging into the classroom, Kiba was actually surprised to see Naruto there. "Dude, what are_ you_ doing here?" he asked his friend as he plopped down beside him.

"Oh yeah, I managed to pass after all," Naruto replied off-handedly. Yeah, that was weird because the Naruto _he knew_ would have been jumping off the walls right about now with that type of information. The dude was obviously distracted.

"Okay dude, what's up?" he asked with a light punch to his shoulder.

"Nothing man, I'm good," Naruto replied, this time not even bothering to look at him.

'Yeah, I'll believe that right when Sasuke's fan-club dissolves of their own volition,' he thought before following his friend's line of sight. 'Oh, that's what this is about,' he thought as his eyes fell on Koushi-sama. "Dude, what happened? Did you get turned down for a date or something because I could have told you that wasn't going to happen," he stated, bumping his shoulder against the only person he knew that enjoyed a good prank more than he did.

"Huh?" Naruto replied distractedly.

"Koushi-sama, did she finally let you down gently? 'Cause dude, you ain't getting with her," Kiba added jokingly. "Hey, don't look at me like that. I'm just telling you the truth. Ain't _no one_ getting with _her_."

"Man, you are _so_ wrong you're talking yourself into a hole," his friend replied, finally turning his attention away from Koushi-sama. "I don't want to _date_ the Princess of Konoha. We're going to be _best_ _friends_," he stressed. It was actually kind of sad because the dude had it _bad_ and now he was in denial.

"Yeah, _friends_," he murmured as he waged his pinky in Naruto's face causing the other boy to break out into possibly the brightest blush he'd ever seen. He didn't think anyone could get that red, but hey, embarrassment was embarrassment. "Okay, so enlighten me."

"Well you see before you and most of the class walked in, I was having a pleasant conversation with the Princess of Konoha…"

"Oh, let me guess. Was it about the merits of pranking?" Kiba interrupted. He couldn't help it if he found it hard to believe that Koushi-sama would speak with anyone in this class let alone Naruto. Just because they were friends didn't change the fact that he was the dead last.

"Yeah, it was something like that. Anyway before I was rudely interrupted, so we were talking then all of the sudden Sasuke-me walks in and sits down right next to me. I didn't partially care, but his fan-club sure did. So, apparently the temee sat there because it was the only seat left in the row and he didn't want to sit next to a crazy fan-girl, which I _totally_ get except for the fact his biggest fan-girls don't really see me as a person. So both Ino and Sakura are like duking it out over who gets to sit in the seat that _I_ was already in so I politely remind them that I'm already sitting down."

Kiba can't help but snort at the term 'politely'. 'Yeah, I'm sure yelling at the top of your lungs was polite,' he thought before tuning back into his friend's story.

"So we're getting louder and louder and finally Iruka-sensei deems it necessary to intervene. And you know what he said? He said that no one would get to sit there. Something about the noise bothering the Princess of Konoha which was true, but I was handling it just fine," Naruto huffed as he finished his story.

"So your problem is?" Kiba probed still not one hundred percent sure why his friend was so gloomy.

"My problem!? My problem is _I_ was included on the list of no one getting to sit there. I was there _first_. I still don't see why _I_ had to move," he finished with a pout.

"Yeah dude…" he began only to be interrupted by Iruka-sensei.

"Alright class, it's been a wonderful year and I just want to…" Kiba almost immediately blocked out the boring goodbye speech spewing from his Sensei. Yeah, he got it. They were adults now. He was going to miss them. Blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. Could they just get to the team assignments?

"…and team seven will consist of Uchiha Sasuke…" Kiba watched as every girl in the classroom perked up at the name as he tuned back into the conversation. Well, that was every girl except for Koushi-sama. She just looked bored. Okay, so bored was probably the wrong word, but she was a Hyuuga so she was probably boring. Kiba chuckled at his own joke. "…Uzumaki Naruto…" His friend's head popped up from its resting place on his desk as he looked over at Koushi-sama. His fingers crossed as he waited on the edge of his seat for the next name. "…and Haruno Sakura," Iruka-sensei finished the list to the loud cheering from Sakura, the deafening sound of boos from a majority of the girls in the classroom, and wait for it. Kiba turned his head to stare at his friend, frozen in abject horror.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Naruto screamed, causing Kiba to cringe at the volume. But he couldn't be mad at his friend. His dreams had just been crushed.

'Damn, that sucks,' he thought as Iruka-sensei brought the class back to order. 'Being on the same team as Koushi-sama is literally the only thing he's been talking about for the last two years,' he continued as he tuned back into the team assignments.

"Your Jounin instructor will be Hatake Kakashi. Team eight will consist of Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba and Koushi-sama. Your Jounin instructor will be Uchiha Itachi. Team nine will…" Kiba was distracted from Iruka-sensei by a sharp push to his shoulders.

"Dude, what gives?" he asked his friend. When he'd heard his name with Koushi-sama, he knew Naruto would be upset, but really? Pushing? Were they four?

"How did you do it? You _knew_ I wanted to be on a team with the _Princess of Konoha_," Naruto accused angrily.

"Man, I didn't do anything. I swear," Kiba replied honestly. Friends and family were important to Inuzukas and he wasn't about to lose a friend over nothing.

"But how are we supposed to become best friends if we're not on the same team?" he asked dejectedly. It was so weird seeing him that way. Naruto could be sad, but he never gave up. He had to do something.

"Dude, are you giving up?"

"What? No, _never_! I will be the Princess of Konoha's best friend, even if we're not on the same team! _Believe it_!" Naruto announced loudly, jumping from his seat and disrupting the class in the process.

"And if you're done Naruto, I'd like to announce the last team?" Iruka-sensei broke the awkward silence that had followed such a loud declaration. Nodding meekly, Naruto sat back down in his chair. "Okay, as I was. The last team will be team ten, which will consist of Nara Shikamaru, Akimichi Choji and Yamanaka Ino. Your Jounin instructor will be Sarutobi Asuma. Your Jounin Senseis will meet you back here after lunch at 1300 hours. I suggest you use this time to eat and get to know your new teammates."

* * *

"Yeah, so this is awkward," Kiba spoke, finally breaking the silence that had descended upon them the moment they'd decided on a restaurant.

"You are correct. Why you ask? Because we have had very little chance to interact in the past. Without past interacts, we could not grow accustom to each other. Thus, we have little to converse about and this social outing is strained. Why is this? Because without common interest we cannot relate to one another in order to relieve the silence," Shino spoke dryly before taking a sip of his tea.

"Okay…I guess you're right. So, why don't we learn more about each other?" Kiba suggested after a moment of silence. That was probably the most he'd ever heard the dude talk so he was likely making some progress with his new team.

"That is an excellent suggestion. Why you ask? Because learning more about each other will allow us to see if we hold any common interests. If our interests coincide with one another then we will then have topics at which we can converse. Thus, future interactions will be less strained," Shino agreed with him after setting down his cup.

"Yeah, so I'll start. Inuzuka Kiba at your service. I enjoy pulling pranks with Naruto and training with Akamaru here," he paused to point at his ninken before continuing. "Not a big fan of my ane's constant teasing, or fleas, and one day I plan to be the best Hunter-nin this village has ever seen," he finished as he pushed back his plate. They'd all been done for a while now so it wasn't a big deal.

"I am Aburame Shino. I enjoy entomology. Why you ask? Because insects are fascinating creatures. Because they are fascinating creatures, I enjoy learning more about them. Thus, I find them enjoyable. I do not like insectivores. Why is this? Because I find insects to be enjoyable. Because they are enjoyable, I do not like when they are harmed in any way. Thus, I do not like insectivores. For the future you ask, I plan to breed the ultimate kikaichuu. Why you ask? Because developing a new breed of insects will better benefit my clan. Because it will benefit my clan, I will be seen as a successful clan head. Thus, my future will have a successful conclusion."

Kiba stared open mouthed at his new teammate. 'Okay, yeah, this guy is definitely weird,' he thought before shaking himself from his stupor and turning towards Koushi-sama.

"I am Hyuuga Hinata, Yotsugi of my clan. I enjoy gardening, I dislike disorder, and I will be the most successful clan head the Hyuuga clan has ever had," she spoke, her tone even and rather lifeless at least to his ears, but she was a Hyuuga so it wasn't all that strange. Although, Kiba did had to hand it to her, she _was_ succinct and to the point. Clearly confident in herself and her abilities.

"Well, okay, I guess that's a start," he began while sliding from his seat. "We should probably head back so we can meet our Sensei."

The walk back was as quiet as the trek to the restaurant, leaving Kiba to believe that if this team was going to work, _he_ was going to have to make it work. He could do that. As strange as his teammates seemed, his instincts were telling him that they were good people. Like his mother always said, trust your instincts first and foremost.

Thankfully, they didn't have to wait long as their new Sensei was more than punctual. In fact he was fifteen minutes early. It was a good thing they'd gotten back so quickly. He would have hated to be late to their first meeting with their new Sensei. Although his timing gave Kiba pause. He sure hoped his Sensei was just over eager because he didn't want to start arriving _early_ to things.

"Team Eight, please follow me," Uchiha Itachi called for them as soon as he entered the room. Hopping out of his seat, Kiba along with his two teammates followed the pale man outside to the front of the building. Kiba stared absentmindedly at the red Uchiha clan symbol on the back of his blue flak-jacket. The red and white symbol covered partially by his new Sensei's long hair. Bound in a low ponytail, Kiba thought that his Sensei made long hair actually look cool. It was so cool in fact that Kiba briefly toyed with the idea of growing out his own hair as they walked. Zoning out as he imagine if his wild hair would be totally badass long or just a hot mess, Kiba was brought from his thought as they stopped, a little over a block away from the Academy gates.

'Kuso,' Kiba internally cursed after seeing how far they'd gotten without him really noticing. He really needed to pull his head out of his ass. He was fucking shinobi of the leaf now, and he needed to start acting like one.

"I am Uchiha Itachi, and as your Jounin instructor, you may call me Itachi-sensei. I assume that you used your lunch break wisely to get to know your new teammates so I will not waste your time with introductions," he began without preamble, his dark three tome eyes staring, pinning them to their spots momentarily before it returned to normal. It was gone so fast Kiba wasn't sure he'd actually seen it, but that gaze was unforgettable. "Before we may begin as an official team, you have one more test to pass."

"Matte, nan da?! I thought we were already Genin?" he interrupted, more outraged that Hana didn't bother to tell him this little tidbit then the fact that there was one more exam to pass. 'I _knew_ she was hiding something,' he raged in his head.

"You are correct in the fact that you are now Genin, however, in order to move forward as field rated Genin so that you may begin receiving missions you must pass my test. In this exam, you will prove to me that you can benefit from my teachings," Itachi-sensei replied.

"As you may have already gathered, you were all chosen to specialize in reconnaissance. Under my tutelage you will excel in the arts of espionage, tracking, retrieval and information gathering. As such your test will consist of all of these aspects. Your mission is as follows: find the object that I have hidden and bring it back to me before sundown. As I do not expect any of you to be perfect, I will give you one piece of advice: reconnaissance specialist must always use discretion when tackling a mission. As there are three of you, I will now allow you three questions."

Shaken, Kiba felt like his head was going to explode. What kind of test was this? He hadn't given them any real information. He was just about to give Itachi-sensei a piece of his mind when he thought better of it. He may not have understood what was going on, but he had two geniuses for teammates. So, he glanced in their direction to see what the plan was.

Koushi-sama removed her hands from her white outer robes to smooth out the nonexistent wrinkles while glancing over to Shino who in turn pushed against the bridge of his glasses to readjust their fit on his face. 'Okay, so maybe they don't know what they're doing,' he thought at seeing their utter inaction. It looked like this was going to be up to him.

Of course, just as he was about to ask his question Koushi-sama spoke. "Itachi-sensei would you please give us the object's specifics. To be more precise the exact dimensions to include radial approximations, exact weight as well as all reactive elements."

'Clever,' Kiba thought as his confidence in his teammates was restored. 'She managed to get three important facts out of one question. I don't know how I'm going to top a question like that,' he thought as he nodded in approval.

"Radius: 2.50 centimeters, length: 16.50 centimeters, diameter: 5.00 centimeters, completely unrolled height: 45.65 centimeters, weight: 0.25 kilograms, reactive elements as follows: fire, water, earth in unrolled form only," Itachi-sensei stated calmly as he waited for the next question.

"Itachi-sensei, have you come into contact with the object within the last six hours?" Koushi-sama asked without hesitation.

'Okay, I thought we'd all get a question, but whatever,' he thought as he waited for Itachi-sensei's response. It looked like Koushi-sama had a plan and he wasn't going to get in the way of that.

"Hai." He didn't bother to elaborate. It didn't look like he was going to give them anything more than they asked for.

"Itachi-sensei, may I borrow a kunai for this mission? I seem to have forgotten my own set at the Hyuuga Compound." Kiba frowned. Now why would she waste a question on that when either one of her new teammates could have loaned her one?

'Okay so maybe Koushi-sama's not as smart as I thought she was,' he thought as he stared confused.

"Hai," Itachi-sensei answered simply, not at all bothered that she'd come unprepared. Fishing a kunai from his pack, he handed it over to her before turning to leave.

"Matte, _matte_. Aren't you going to tell us where to find you?" Kiba asked. How did he think he was getting his object back if he didn't tell them?

"That would be a fourth question," Itachi-sensei stated without looked back at them.

'Well, damn,' Kiba thought before turning back to his teammates. "Why would you waste a question on kunai when we could have asked something better like, I don't know, where to find the damn thing or where to find _him_?" he asked angrily. What was up with her?

"If I may Koushi-sama?" Shino asked politely, ignoring Kiba as he began to steam with anger. Koushi-sama nodded in his direction and Shino turned back to Kiba. "Itachi-sensei said we could ask him three questions, however, he did not say he would answer three questions. Why is this important you ask? Because if we had attempted to ask him questions he was very unlikely to answer, then we would have wasted a question. Thus, Koushi-sama did not ask those questions."

"Okay, well, why the kunai?" Kiba asked. He could understand why they couldn't ask certain questions, but still, that seemed like a waste.

"It was necessary for the plan. Why you ask? Because an article of clothing would have been too much. Itachi-sensei would have been unlikely to give us a piece of his clothing. Thus, we asked for something smaller of which he was more likely to part with," Shino answered, however, his answer really didn't help much.

"Ahhh, just tell me the damn plan. I don't even know how you're both in on it when I haven't got a clue about what you're even _talking_ about," he complained, hands shifting through the messy hair under the hood of his jacket.

"Inuzuka-san, the plan is simple. We will retrieve the object and bring it to Itachi-sensei," Koushi-sama explained, but of course she wasn't any better than Shino.

"Okay, but _how_ are we going to do that and _why_ did you need his kunai?" Kiba nearly begged for the answer. He was really going to have to work on their communication skills. It needed to be a three-way street, not a two-way.

"You and your ninken will use this kunai to familiarize yourself with Itachi-sensei's scent. We will then follow your lead to track down the location of the scroll. Once the scroll is in our possession Aburame-san will lead us back to Itachi-sensei's location at which point we will need to come up with a plan that will allow us to discretely deliver the scroll to Itachi-sensei," she finally explained.

"Oh, okay that seems simple enough," Kiba replied, nodding in agreement until something finally occurred to him. "Matte, how is Shino going to lead us back to Itachi-sensei? He didn't tell us where to find him and his scent is likely to be all over the place so he'll be almost impossible to track that way," he asked still a little confused on when they had time to plan this.

"I was able to plant one of my female kikaichuu on Itachi-sensei before he left. Why did I do that you ask? Because the male kikaichuu can track the location of female kikaichuu. Thus, I will be able to quickly ascertain Itachi-sensei's location," Shino answered quickly.

"Yeah, but how did you know to do that?" Kiba wasn't happy that this was quickly becoming a game of twenty questions. How was he supposed to keep up with these two if they were on a wavelength so different from his own that it had its own unique color spectrum?

"Koushi-sama asked me to. Why you ask? Because I believe she was already aware of my clan's abilities. As such she used that information to develop this plan. Thus, why I placed the female kikaichuu on Itachi-sensei."

'But they hadn't said anything,' he thought with a pout. He felt worlds behind his teammates and they hadn't even done anything yet. Then suddenly he remembered. "Oh, the whole smoothing wrinkles that aren't there and fixing the glasses. Okay, I get it now, but after this we're going to work on your communication skills. Now, hand me that kunai," Kiba replied happily. Finally, he understood what was going on. It made sense, he'd probably missed a quick hand sign or two. He was just going to have to watch his teammates closer. Clearly, every movement they made was meaningful, at least during a mission.

* * *

Hinata followed closely behind Aburame-san as they traveled from tree branch to tree branch. With both Inuzuka-san and his ninken companion on the scent, they had easily been able to track and retrieve the object, which had indeed been the scroll she assumed it to be. With her Byakugan they had effortlessly avoided the numerous traps that he'd laid out for them, and Aburame-san's kikaichuu had smoothly been able to deactivate the seal on the scroll that would have otherwise destroyed it when they tried to touch it by having them feed on the chakra powering the trap. Now they were on their way back to Itachi-sensei, and Hinata was sure this would be the hardest part.

'Discretion, what could he have meant by that?' she asked herself. She had a few assumptions, but seeing as they had almost two and half hours before sundown she didn't feel like she needed to guess. They would all find out when they got there.

Soon his message was clear as Inuzuka-san read the name of the establishment that currently housed their Sensei. "The Red River. Why do I know this place?" Inuzuka-san asked aloud.

"It is a bar. It seems we have a problem," Aburame-san began as he turned to look at Inuzuka-san directly. "Why you ask? Because this bar only serves to Chuunin and above. We are Genin. As such they will not allow us entrance. Thus, we have a problem."

"Oh, now I remember why I know this place. This is the bar my ane goes to all the time," Inuzuka-san replied. Given his complete disregard for Aburame-san's statement, he'd likely not been listening. Wait, his sister frequents this establishment often. Hinata internally smiled. She had a plan.

"Inuzuka-san, can you contact your sister?" Hinata asked as she began to move away from the building. Itachi-sensei did say that discretion was the key to reconnaissance specialists.

"Yeah, sure, actually I think she's in there already. Why?" he questioned as he followed along with Aburame-san.

"I have a plan," she answered simply.

* * *

Entering the bar in front of him, Akamaru was on a mission. His first solo mission in fact, so he wasn't willing to fail. Dodging the footsteps of the humans above him, he made his way to his uncles. Scroll carefully held in his mouth, he was more than ready for his appointed task.

Only mildly distracted by the smell of the rare steaks and sake placed before his uncles, Akamaru didn't hesitate to approach them. The Haimaru brothers, Hisagomaru, Houzukimaru, and Hyourinmaru, were so named because his humans couldn't always tell the identical triplets apart. After all, it was extraordinarily rare for their breed of ninken to be born as triplets.

Akamaru thought it was fate because they'd been destined for the heir of the clan, and Hana-neechan was extremely extraordinary. It was only fitting that her ninken companions also be just as amazing as her. He really liked her, and not just because she was the one who had helped in his birth or because she often took care of him. No, he liked her because she was always nice to him, unlike said uncles.

"What are you doing here runt?" Houzukimaru-jisan barked, he was the oldest of the triplets and the nicest as the others didn't even bother to turn his way. It didn't really bother him though. By now, Akamaru was more than used to this type of treatment.

He looked first to the large steak in front of his uncle before dropping the scroll toward Houzukimaru-jisan. He needed to get this right so that his uncles didn't get too suspicious and not agree to help. "Ji-san, my new Sensei forgot his scroll. Could you give it to him? I'm not quiet big enough to reach him."

"Not to mention you're not allowed in here," Houzukimaru-jisan causally replied as he took a healthy lap at his bowl of sake.

"Please, Ji-san. We don't want to start off on the wrong foot with our new Sensei. You understand don't you?" Akamaru gave Houzukimaru-jisan his best puppy dog look, which would have worked wonderfully on Hana-neechan, but was always a hit or miss with his uncles.

"Don't pout at me runt. Save it for Kiba-kun." Houzukimaru-jisan got up from his laid down position causing Hisagomaru and Hyourinmaru to fall off him. His uncles all stood up dwarfing him as they shook out their fur. Houzukimaru-jisan snapped playfully at his small body as he moved to pick up the scroll. "Run along pup, we'll get this to your Sensei."

Akamaru dodged Hisagomaru and Hyourinmaru as they too snapped at him. Unlike Houzukimaru-jisan, his other uncles were less likely to miss on purpose if he didn't get a move on. Akamaru gave one last look behind him as his uncles moved to Hana-neechan's side. He did a little dance as he made his way back out to Kiba and his new teammates. His part of the mission was complete. Yatta!

* * *

"I suppose I can't be all that upset that I wasn't given a team this year. Not with Hatake-senpai and Itachi-senpai both stepping down from Anbu to take teams. Not to mention Asuma-san coming back from the Daimyos' service to take a team as well. There was basically no chance of me getting one this year. Still, I was really looking forward to it," Kurenai complained as she took a sip from her drink.

"Oh, cheer up Kurenai-chan. I'm telling you, you really dodged a bullet on that one. Who would want to be strapped to a bunch of snot nosed brats when you can be strapped to something else?" Anko-kun replied as Hana watched her eye up the Chuunin, Iruka-san if she remember correctly, sitting at the bar. This was only his fifth time joining their little group and Hana didn't think he really knew what he was getting into with Anko-kun.

"Anko, you'll sleep with anyone who gets you dango. Give the man a break," Hana replied as her eyes flicked back over to her ninken. By the looks of it, they were done with little Akamaru. She wasn't sure why the pup was here interacting with the Haimaru brothers, or really just Houzukimaru, but she was sure she'd find out soon enough.

"Well, if he didn't like it, he'd stop buying me dango," Anko-kun shot back, leaning heavy on her elbow as she swallowed her saucer of sake in one gulp.

"Still, Anko-chan you don't have to be so… public about it," Kurenai replied, cringing at the memory of Anko-kun's last very energetic display of gratitude. Really, Kurenai should be used to Anko-kun's eccentric behavior by now. They'd all been friends for years.

Her ninken made their way to her as Anko-kun replied. "Just because you're not going to act on your feelings, doesn't mean I'm just going to sit here and pine."

"I'm not pining for anyone," Kurenai denied adamantly, although we all knew _that_ was a lie.

"Ah! Kurenai-chan you're so cute," Anko-kun replied as she leaned closer and draped herself around their friend. Anko didn't bother to hide the movement of her hands, which were firmly gripping chest. "But you got to loosen up a little like me and Hana-chan," she continued as her groping hands moved across the poor girls body.

Hana shook her head at Anko-kun's actions and the small sounds of protest escaping Kurenai's mouth as she rubbed the heads of the Haimaru brothers and took the offered scroll. _"The pups need you to give this to their Sensei,"_ Hisagomaru barked as he pushed Houzukimaru out of the way to get closer to her.

Hyourinmaru pushed Hisagomaru out of the way as he added his own two-ryo into the conversation. _"Says their Sensei dropped the scroll, and they want to give it back to him before they go home." _

Houzukimaru snapped at his younger brothers as he moved his head back into Hana's hand. _"It is likely part of their Genin exam, Hana-chan." _

"Thanks guys," Hana stated, giving all three a rough pat on their sides before getting up from her seat. "Anko-kun stop molesting Kurenai-chan. Let her keep her innocence."

"Thanks Hana. Where are you going?" Kurenai asked, the relief was clear in her voice as the red in her face slowly reseeded now that Anko had stopped her groping.

Hana grinned widely. "There are men here and I've got an itch that needs scratching."

Hana moved to the group of shinobi currently at the bar with Anko and Kurenai not far behind. While they had recently been hanging out with Kakashi-senpai, Iruka-kun and Itachi-kun, Asuma-senpai seemed to also be with them today. Hana could only guess that he was out to celebrate his new team with the rest of them as he typically didn't take time to join their little group at the bar. Hana shrugged, at least Kurenai would be happy although she vehemently continued to deny her little crush on the man.

For her part, she'd have gone over to join them earlier, but she'd been so surprised to see Itachi-kun here that she'd hesitated. The man would come out with them every once in a while, but she'd been sure he wouldn't show until he'd gotten his new team in order. He really was too responsible to relax before then. So, she hadn't been expecting him tonight.

Of course now, Akamaru's entrance explained why he was here.

"Itachi-kun, it's barely five, what are you doing here?" Hana questioned good-naturally as she sat down next to her fellow Jounin. "I thought for sure you'd still be babysitting my little brother, but by the number of drinks Kakashi-senpai has had you must have been here for a while. Done with my otouto already?" she added as she signaled for her usual.

"No, they are still taking my Genin test," he stated as he turned to face her, half-finished drink in hand. By the smell of it, if there was alcohol in that drink then there wasn't a lot of it. Not that it surprised her. He may have been here, but he was still the same Itachi-kun.

"Yeah, that explains it then," she added off-handedly. She'd have to hand it to them, if she'd been anything other than a Jounin she might not have noticed what they had tried to do.

"What do you mean?" he asked softly before taking a sip from his drink.

"My annoying little brother asked me to give you this," she stated as she waved the slightly slobber covered scroll in his face. "He was pretty clever about it too. Having Akamaru drop it off in his stead. He even mentioned you'd dropped this and they just wanted to give it back to you before they went home, but couldn't because you were here. Drinking away your problems I'd say," Hana teased as she moved to open the scroll.

"That is not yours," Itachi spoke as the scroll disappeared from her hands only to reappear in his. He's right eye twitched as he wiped the dog slobber from his hand.

"Was that a genjutsu you just used on me?" she inquired with a raise of her brow. Not many men had the gall to use a jutsu on her. He had to have real balls of steel to even try. A smirk rose to her lips as she stared at him. He sat there unwavering. He was either completely insane or overly cocky. Either way, she kind of liked it.

"Hai, I doubt you would have given it to me otherwise," he replied as he sealed the scroll into a pocket on his flak-jacket. "Dog slobber and all," he murmured dryly, the sarcasm in his tone hard to hide.

"Ooh, a joke. I didn't know Uchihas _could_ joke. Aren't you a feisty one?" Hana continued to tease. The more they talked, the more she realized that he wasn't like most Uchiha. "Don't worry, I like them feisty," she finished before turning to the bartender. "Yuuki-san, get this man another drink and this time let's go with something stronger."

"That is unnecessary. I won't be staying any longer," he commented before rising to leave.

'Well, that won't do,' she thought. She had an itch that needed scratching and Itachi-kun looked like the best candidate for the job. "What can't hold a little liquor? And here I thought you Uchiha could handle anything," she goaded him, banking on that Uchiha pride that was strong in every single one of them. She knew how to get what she wanted.

"On that you are not mistaken," he replied, a self-assured tilt to his voice as he sat back down, downing the shot that had been placed in front of him.

"I don't know. That was only one drink. You're going to have to drink a hell of a lot more to convince me. At least more than Kakashi-senpai over there," she teased before signaling for another round. They both looked at Kakashi-senpai to see him entertaining Kurenai along with Asuma-senpai while Anko groped Iruka-kun from her place in his lap. "But maybe you should go. You wouldn't want little ol' me to drink you under the table. Not with all these witnesses."

"You overestimate your abilities," Itachi-kun replied before downing another shot. "I have observed your drinking patterns, and I am confident that you cannot out drink me."

"Well, you can try," Hana grinned, a taunt to her smile. She always got what she wanted. "So tell me, what's so important about that scroll? Is it your porn collection?" she asked teasingly. She really enjoyed watching the red color his cheeks.

"Of course not," he replied, his face still red.

"Sure, keep telling yourself that," Hana replied with a laugh. She had a feeling that tonight would be rather entertaining.

* * *

**KJ's Japanese Corner**

(1) _The pinky finger._ In Japan, when you hold up a pinky, you are referring to a girlfriend, mistress or female love interest. When you hold up a thumb, you are referring to a boyfriend, lover or male love interest. _BloodRed13_ originally wanted to back the 'da Nile' joke, but since there is no Nile River in the Naruto universe we had to use another joke. I personally like the pinky joke, which is why we used it.

(2) _The honorific –me._ The honorific –me is a derogatory honorific used to refer to people you're pissed at and/or deem despicable/inferior. It's not a common phase in real life, however, is often used in anime and manga. We use –me instead of the more common fanfiction –teme(e), since, as mentioned in a previous culture corner, we (mostly me, KJ) refuse to use temee in that manner. With that said, it is pretty derogatory, so it's not likely to be used that often by Naruto (but mostly because it reads funny). As a side note, the honorific is usually used a joke or sarcastically, and when added to one's own name it has a self-humbling effect.

(3) _The number four (shi). _So, some of you may have noticed that there were ten teams total, but only twenty-seven students. This stems from the fact that there is no team four. What? Why the hell not? You might ask. Well, if you're a Japanese culture nut like me, then you know that the number four (shi) also stands for death (although there is an alternative word for four, yon). So, who in the world would want to be on the death team? This concept extends to a lot of buildings in Japan including hospitals, and is the reason there are no 'fourth' floors. Thus, there is no team numbered four, ever. Konoha would never have a team four as it would be bad luck for the ninja. So, no team nine is not Team Gai, there's just no team four.

(4) _Ane versus Onee-san._ When talking about one's own family, there are different words used. Ani for my older brother, and chichi and haha for father and mother, respectfully. The reason why we don't use mother is because it looks too funny in English (let's be real, you'd all think he/she was laughing inappropriately about something…). So, no my father either, just to be fair. Strangely enough there isn't a separate word for little siblings. When referring to one's own younger siblings you simply leave off the honorific.


	7. Team Kakashi

**AN**: Howdy all, thanks for coming back for another wonderful chapter. Like always if you want the best experience for this story please follow us on our tumblr page (HyuugaTheEldestSon), a link can be found on my page. Anyway, enjoy.

**PS** - We still don't own any Naruto content or any other content that we may borrow from other places.

**PPS** - Also, almost forgot. A list of the new Japanese words is provided below.

_Denshi jisho_ (dictionary - not a word in the story)

Yoshi – (pronounced yosh), this is a term of excitement (similar to yatta)

Yatta – this is a term of excitement (similar to Yoshi)

Chichi-ue – reverent father (when talking about one's own father) (see corner for more info)

Haha-ue – reverent mother (when talking about one's own mother) (see corner for more info)

Baka – idiot

* * *

_**Arc – Genin Exam**_

_Chapter Five: Team Kakashi_

Sunrays peaked through the blinds of Naruto's only window shining its light on the floor below. Naruto's bed was long folded away as he worked on the hard surface beneath it. He'd learned long ago that trying to make a perfect seal on the lumpy surface was just asking for it to blow up in his face. When it came to the integrity of his seals, he'd stop at nothing to maintain it. Even going as far as turning down a perfectly good box spring bed to keep his old futon. After all, you just couldn't fold up a box spring.

The small flame from his everlasting (one could last a week with the seal he'd added to it) candles had bestowed what little light he needed so that he could touch up a few of the seals he'd thought might be useful for this second Genin exam. As he hadn't _actually_ passed the first one, he'd known he would need to go all out on this one. And he planned to pull out all the stops.

Every perfected seal he had and every trick in the book he knew, he was going to use them all today. And as his good fortune normally ran, the training ground would give him the home field advantage. At least it would once he finished rigging it. He had everything riding on this test and he wasn't going to let anything go to waste. He intended to utilize every advantage he could get his hands on to its fullest potential.

"Sensei's not going to know what hit him…" Naruto chuckled to himself as he looked over his last seal. A few extra seals had turned into two dozen, which meant he'd spend the better part of the last couple of hours working on them. The one sitting in front of him was one of his firework specialties. He'd been running low on them in the stash he normally kept ready so he'd had to make a few more.

Of course, he didn't plan to use them directly on his Sensei. He didn't actually want to kill the man. However, the light grade fireworks would be sure to act as at least a good distraction. Given his opponent was going to be a Jounin, Naruto was going to need all the diversions he could get to distract against his slightly lower than average taijutsu skills.

This test wouldn't be like any other test. There was no written portion, no impossible to create bunshin, this would be a test of his real strength. Here he could not stumble. He had to prove now more than ever that he belonged, and that he was a ninja worthy of the Hyuuga-hime's friendship. Now that they weren't on the same team, he was going to have to work twice as hard. The only way she'd hear how awesome he was, would be through the eyes of everyone else, and he wasn't naive enough to think that anyone would willingly report his exploits accurately.

She was the Princess of Konoha. To deserve her friendship, he'd have to be the best and she needed to see that. He couldn't show her that if he didn't pass this test. He knew without a shadow of a doubt that she would pass her test, if she hadn't already that was. He could _not_ afford to get any farther behind her than he already was. So, this was _his_ chance! And he wasn't about to miss it! Believe it!

One last look over the seal and Naruto deemed it more than ready. He couldn't see anything wrong with it which was enough validation for him. Over the years, he'd learned to pick up even the slightest stroke error whether it was caused by pressing down too hard on the brush or whether he'd actually managed to draw a portion incorrectly. Which was why, when he looked down at the seals he'd made he knew that they were perfect, or nearly so. Right now, it was missing a final touch.

Carefully, Naruto drew the spiral that was his clan's symbol into the seal. He'd added that little touch as soon as he'd been able to without messing with the integrity of the seal itself, which despite his awesome talent had taken more time than he was willing to admit out loud before he'd actually managed to get it right.

However, he knew the effort he put into learning was important because this wasn't just some symbol he'd made up. It wasn't something he'd concocted because he thought it looked cool. This was the Uzumaki clan symbol and it meant something to him. So, yeah it did look cool, super cool in fact, but this was more than just looking awesome. His clansmen had been adding _this_ symbol to all of their created seals since their conception. This was history. And yeah, whoever had thought to add it, was probably a genius like him because it was totally badass.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Naruto packed the seal away in one of his storage scrolls. If he was lucky he would still have time to get in a couple more 'zzz'. 'Now what time is it?'

Naruto moved over to open the blinds to his window. He'd destroyed his alarm clock yesterday on his way to get his official ninja identification card and had yet to replace it. Still, he'd gotten pretty good at telling the general hour simply from the position of the sun and the stars. Peering out at the sun Naruto gaged the time to be…

Jumping up in surprise, Naruto hurried away from the window. He had only a couple of minutes before he was late for the second part of the exam. It would be just his luck to be late for the Genin exam _again_. Well, he'd not really been late to the first one since that bastard Mizuki had told him the wrong time. Now that he knew his true intentions, he was sure that he'd done it on purpose too. Well, as of a few nights ago, he wouldn't be trying to screw _anyone_ over again. At least he didn't have to worry about sabotaging Senseis anymore. He wasn't entirely sure why, but he felt like that wouldn't be the case with this Sensei.

Rushing to put all of his scrolls and his supplies away, Naruto hopped out of his comfortable pajamas bottoms. His floppy night cap moving into his eyes with every hop. Curse the amazingness that was his froggie hat! Naruto rushed through his morning ritual grabbing food and the like as he made his way out the door and onto the nearby rooftops. It wasn't until he was halfway through his regular morning energy bar that he finally remembered Sensei's warning not to eat breakfast…

'Well dang, it was probably too late now.' With a shrug as he continued running along the rooftops, Naruto finished the protein bar and started in on his orange. His favorite fruit to eat for obvious reasons. He hoped his lack of sleep didn't ruin his chances with this test.

Seeing the training field ahead, Naruto couldn't help but be disappointed he'd not gotten to rig the field like he'd planned. It wasn't like there were two of him…

Skidding to a stop, Naruto hit himself lightly on the head. "There aren't just two of me. There's five! _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" 'Or six,' Naruto thought as he stared at the five clones in front of him. At least it was only one more than he'd been trying to summon. He was getting better with controlling this jutsu. Awesome!

"Yo boss!"

"What's up, chief?"

"Aren't you late, big man?"

"Man I'm hungry."

"Butterflies!"

Man did he have an attention span problem. "Alright guys, listen up. You already know today's a big day. And you know what we do on big days."

"Puke?"

"Skip class?"

"Pull a really cool prank?"

"Ramen, ramen, _ramen_!"

"Cheat!"

Naruto sweat dropped at his clones' responses. After today, he was going to have a nice long talk with himself. "Stack the deck in our favor…"

"Yoshi! I had it right, _suckers_." The clone stuck his tongue out before he broke out into a little dance. Naruto nodded to himself, he was actually pretty good at dancing. He should probably remember that little bit of information for later. "Its ninja master pranking rule number ten."

"Lucky" and "bastard" could be heard from the four other clones. At least they were unified in that regard.

Naruto tossed the scrolls at the clones. "You know what to do."

They were gone in a whirl, at least all but one. "Have fun boss!" He waved goodbye before he too was gone.

With his clones gone, Naruto made his way to the clearing. He might be a few minutes late, but he'd still have home field advantage. If this worked out well, Naruto's mind wandered to the possible pranks, ah training exercises, he could pull off. Man did he love the clone jutsu now…

* * *

A young boy stumbled through the trees moving aimlessly. Lost in his turbulent thoughts he fumbled through the forest lacking all of his natural poise and grace. Pale eyes, the same shade as the full moon peered sightlessly through the trees as his long dark locks blew through the gentle breeze of the wind. His Hyuuga heritage clear for all to see. He shouldn't have been out here in the middle of the village's vast forests, a virtual nowhere as far as his limited experience outside of the village was concerned.

He was much too far from the confines of the Compound, but no one ever missed a lonely orphan. His chores were done, and he'd been given time away from classes. There was no one out there that would notice his absence. Thus, young Tsuyoki was here, lost in thought, contemplating the hard decisions that lay ahead of him.

Absentmindedly picking up a nearby rock Tsuyoki tossed it in the air as he regained his footing, no longer stumbling as he traversed the thick tree line. How did they expect him to choose? How did they expect _anyone_ to choose? He was barely ten years old. Heck, they were all barely ten years old. How was anyone supposed to _know_ what they wanted to do for the rest of their life now? And all he had were the next two days to finally decide.

Did he chose the life of a Konoha ninja? Allow the distant family member holding his General Council seat to keep it indefinitely? Join the Ninja Academy where he'd be expected to graduate top of his class. Despite the pressure, he was sure he could do it. After all, he could become something great. At least his instructors all claimed he could.

Could he follow in his father's footsteps? Though he couldn't remember the man, his instructors had told him about his father's skill, skills surpassed only by his mother. However, Tsuyoki couldn't imagine following the path of people he couldn't remember. Not when the clan had been his home, his only family no matter how distant, for the past ten years.

Tsuyoki didn't want that. That wasn't his dream. And he certainly didn't care if he had a natural talent for the gentle fist and chakra manipulation like the faceless mother before him no matter how the skill would have made it easy for him to excel at the Ninja Academy. He had no desire to fight for the village. A village he'd never seen outside of the Hyuuga parade.

Of course he could join the honorable Hyuuga Police instead. Spend the next two or three years in the Hyuuga Police Academy and serve both the clan and the village directly. He'd be with other Hyuuga. A familiarity that would have comforted most Hyuuga, but not him. At the Police Academy, they would neither be friend nor foe. While orphans weren't exactly rare in the Hyuuga clan, they typically ended up with uncles or aunts. Close relatives that they grew up with, that loved them because of that close connection. Unfortunately, Tsuyoki hadn't been quite so lucky.

As it was, the noble Tsuyoki Family was horribly small compared to both the other noble families as well as the more numerous branch families. A product of the rapidly changing times. Tsuyoki had only bothered to check the records once, curious as all orphans were, to see the history of his family. They, the protectors of the clan sealing arts, had once been the most important noble Family in the clan, second only to the First Family. But now they were little more than a joke. Who needed the input of the _noble_ sealing family when the honored seal hadn't changed in generations? What did they protect now? The stigma that still surrounded his family had kept his classmates at a distance. As such, he'd made no friends within the Clan.

Years ago, Tsuyoki, ever invisible to his distant relatives, had overheard that his mother, a warm faceless memory, had often appointed a stand-in on the Council so that she could go on missions for the village. Though her position as the Tsuyoki Family heir had prevented her from becoming an official ninja, she hadn't let that stop her from her apparent dream. Tsuyoki wondered if he'd ever be so lucky.

Tsuyoki sighed heavily as he calmed his breathing, slowing his aimless walking. No, he didn't want to join the Ninja or Hyuuga Police Academy. Ever since his sixth birthday, he'd had only one dream as impossible as it was. He'd had his heart set on joining the service of the Yotsugi-dono. He'd not known then how impossible the goal really was, joining the retainers. As the heir to the noble Tsuyoki Family he apparently had obligations he'd not known about until this year.

It was tradition for him to apprentice to the most knowledgeable seal archivist in the clan. A seal _archivist_! Not even a master because there hadn't been a seal master in the clan in decades. It was a lost art held by a dying Family that only held a General Council seat because of _tradition_. He'd heard the whispered comments made about his line. No one thought they were important any more. He could understand why his mother had done everything to escape her antiquated fate. No one should be confined by tradition.

Of course that wasn't even his biggest hurdles to joining the Yotsugi-dono's service. As it was, the retainers were a tight knit group. Four families made up the extent of Hyuugas chosen to join their ranks. Sure there were exceptions like Tatsuki-sama, but she was a rare gem. _Tradition_ dictated that those families would be allowed first pick at the retainer apprenticeship. Outside of the official head retainer trials, it was nearly impossible for anyone outside of those four families to obtain an apprenticeship.

So, Tsuyoki's frustration was not really in the choosing, given his limited options there really didn't seem to be a _choice_ in the matter. No, he'd likely stay in the Hyuuga Academy on the apprenticeship track like tradition dictated. And when he was done, he'd apprentice with one of his distant relatives that disliked him for reasons he'd yet to uncover. And he'd hate every minute knowing that he wouldn't be able to choose the path that he really wanted most. He would not get the opportunity to help and protect Yotsugi-dono. The first Hyuuga, the first _person_, to really _see_ him.

A light breeze blew across the nearby clearing as Tsuyoki looked to the trees. The wind carrying the loose leaves and grass that fluttered throughout the air, he moved to the edge of the tree line. Nearby trees rustled in the wind as if softly touched by the blowing wind, the light gust like the caress of a new lover, gentle as it blew through the green life surrounding it. Tsuyoki moved to a thick tree on the edge of the clearing allowing the warmth of the sunlight to calm him as he began the mediation ritual that all Hyuugas learned at a young age. The soft light of the sun warmed him from the outside in. Soon, Tsuyoki found his inner peace.

He was a Hyuuga. He would accept what could not be. He would accept his responsibility and attend to his duty. Turning to leave, he hesitated as the light glinted off the hard black stone in the center of the clearing. He'd seen the stone only in books. The memorial to ninja long past. Those gone before their time. Tsuyoki turned to it, drawn to the stone. His parents' names were marked on that stone. They'd died supporting the village and though his mother had not been an official ninja, the Hokage had honored her sacrifice. The solitary stone reminded him of the sight of the Yotsugi-dono, strong and unwavering, but alone.

Moving closer to the stone. Tsuyoki only stopped when he heard the cadence of a soft voice bubbled from the isolated clearing. Ducking behind a nearby tree Tsuyoki looked at the sole figure trying to find the hidden body the figure was speaking to. On a quick glance, he could find no one else. Activating his doujutsu, Tsuyoki confirmed what his eyes had already told him. This man was alone.

'What are you doing? Talking to that memorial stone?' Tsuyoki stood silently as he deactivated his doujutsu, watching the man as he continued to speak to the black polished stone. Fresh flowers lay innocently by his feet as he stood next to the stone. The very solemn nature of the place permeated the atmosphere. So much so that even the hurried movement of the birds and the light pitter-patter of the other woodland creatures seemed to be muted. The sounds of their activity placed far into the background.

Even so, the lone figure was not out of place. Tsuyoki noticed that the animals moved around him as if he were a common fixture. Given what he knew of body language, Tsuyoki would have to say he was more than comfortable here. There was no awkwardness or hesitation in his stance, but why? 'Why speak to those who cannot hear, cannot reply?' Tsuyoki noted his attire, the hitai-ate draped across one of his eyes denoting his ninja status. By the way he held himself, he had to be a Jounin, but other than that knowledge Tsuyoki wouldn't know. As Tsuyoki concentrated, he just managed to pick up the words that the lone Jounin spoke.

"…Remember the bet with Anko-kun I told you about the other day?" The man snorted in amusement. "Yeah, well the plan worked. Worked better than I thought it would too. No, don't give me that 'it was only dango'. Not this time, Obito-kun. No, this time it was two, hai _two_, special edition copies of _Icha Icha Paradise_, signed by Jiraiya-sama no less. So, I _had_ to get Itachi-kun there." There was a short pause as if the Jounin were waiting for a response before he continued. "Yeah, I know. Not the easiest guy to convince to go anywhere, as you well know from the many times I've told you about him. Hasn't really changed much in the last couple of years either, but none of us really do."

The man put his hands up in defense as he spoke to the stone. It was as if Tsuyoki was actually watching a real conversation and not this one-sided affair. "Yeah, I know we can change if we want to. We're in charge of our own paths. _You_ taught me that remember? But that's beside the point, with a little convincing I finally got him to agree. Few would want their younger sibling to randomly find copies of _Icha Icha Paradise_ in their very respectable older sibling's room. And as you can imagine, he couldn't agree fast enough."

The lone figure paused again as if waiting for a response before laughing softly to himself. "Yeah, you bet it had him pulling _me _out for drinks." His one uncovered eye wrinkled up in a smile as he continued. "Okay, so maybe he didn't so much as pull me out for drinks, but I did get him to change his plans. Yeah, he _might_ have come to me for advice on his team test, and I might have used a little _Icha Icha Paradise_ blackmail to get him to switch his waiting location to the best bar in town. But really, he was just going to wait in some restaurant anyway. Where's the difficulty in that?"

"I know, I know…that's playing with fire, but it was _two_ special editions, Obito-kun. You can't expect me to _not_ pull every dirty trick I know for that kind of reward. And it's not like he didn't enjoy himself. He stayed a lot longer than I thought he would. So really, it's a win-win."

The man sighed as he moved onto another less jovial topic of conversation. "I'm trying another team again… No, I know what you'd say, but you more than anyone should know why I can't just pass them because Sandaime-sama said to. I'll give them a chance like every other group, but if they don't realize the importance of teamwork…" He shook his head at his unseen companion. "I'll not teach a bunch of students that are worse than trash, Obito-kun. I'll not teach anyone that is as stupid as I used to be." There was a steel in his voice that spoke of an unshakable conviction as the soft cadence of his voice mingled with the muted sounds of nature surrounding him.

Tsuyoki noted the man's actions as he paused again, as if waiting for some kind of cue before he continued. "Haruno-san, Haruno Sakura, seems like she might take the most work. And no, it's not because she's a girl. We both know Rin was way better than half the shinobi out there. And Anko-kun would murder me, after she tortured me of course, if I thought that way. Not to mention her friends, Kurenai-san and Hana-san." The man shivered at the thought. "No matter how skilled I might be, no one would want to face that type of trifecta. I value my life and sanity too much to tempt fate like that."

"It's just, Haruno, no Sakura-san, is a civilian. It's hard enough becoming a ninja with a ninja clan to back you up, but to have no ninja background." The one eyed man shook his head again. This time hard enough that his silver, spiky hair moved to briefly block the sight from his one good eye. "She does have a good score sheet, but it's mostly book smarts and the Academy isn't like it used to be, Obito-kun. No, I'm not complaining, but… I won't know what she really knows until I see her in action. Sakura-san was top kunoichi of her class, so that's got to say something. Well, it probably would have meant more if Koushi-sama had been scored with her. So maybe it doesn't say nearly as much as I wish it did."

There was a long pause as the silver haired man lost himself in deep thought for which Tsuyoki thought he would stop talking out loud altogether, but soon enough he continued. "Oh yeah, I've also got an Uchiha. Itachi-kun's little brother actually, which will probably end up being a pain." A deep sigh left the one eyed man's lips as he continued. "Makes me wish Sandaime-sama would have just given him to Itachi-kun, but I guess that's politics for you. You'd have hated how that conversation had gone down. But what's happened has happened, and there's nothing I or anyone else can do about that now."

A sour look crossed his face, his one visible eye wrinkled in a frown as he digested the facts before him. "From what I've seen of this Uchiha Sasuke, he's got more of his father's attitude than Itachi-kun's. So, pretty much like every other Uchiha out there, arrogant just like you remember. He graduated top of his class at least, but again Koushi-sama wasn't scored with them so there's no real way to gage just how good he is without testing him. And no, his skills are nowhere near Itachi-kun's levels when he was that age, but Itachi-kun's something special, so I'm not all that surprised. Still, I know Itachi would have trained him at least some, so I'll have to keep my eyes on him during the test."

There was another pause, but this time much shorter. "And then there's Naruto-kun. Hai, I got Naruto. I wasn't sure Sarutobi-sama would give him to me. Wasn't even sure he'd pass, to be honest. But he's strong. So much stronger than the last time we talked about him, Obito-kun. You can't even imagine. He's just so much like you too. Loud and obnoxious. You remember I told you he'd been going around in that kami-sama awful orange jump suits. How he manages to hide from the Hyuuga police in that get up, I'll never know."

The smile returned to the young man's eye as he was lost in thought. "His heart's in the right place, though. His pranks are mostly good-natured even if they are extremely embarrassing. He'd make you proud that the prankster spirit still lives on so strongly in our leaf village. I'm just worry about his basics. If anything's going to hold him back, it's that. I couldn't spend as much time with him as I'd have liked, and he's missed so much time and information from his Academy classes. Dead last like you, but then again, maybe that's a good thing. If this team has someone like you on it, Obito-kun, then I'm sure they'll pass. One way or another they'll pass…"

Looking up at the sky, the man traced the path of the sun. "It's past eleven. So, I suppose they've waited long enough." Turning to go the young silver haired one-eyed man spoke over his shoulder. "Same time tomorrow Obito-kun?" The birds' soft chatter was the only answer he received, but it seemed to be enough as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Tsuyoki paused still unmoved as he took in what he'd just seen. Moving forward, he found himself in the same spot as the friend to Obito-san. Tsuyoki found Obito-san's name first. "Uchiha Obito." He read out loud. "Your friend must really miss you. Do you bring him happiness? Is that why he came to talk to you?" Tsuyoki paused waiting for the mysterious Obito-san to reply. The wind blew shifting the flowers and the long tail ends of his hair, bring his attention to the bottom of the stone. As if by fate the flowers pointed to the names of his parents, Hyuuga Tsuyoko and Hyuuga Yusuke. Their names right on top of each other.

He'd never known them, but his instructors had nothing but good things to say about them. The two of them together had been the last time the Hyuuga clan had seen true fuuinjutsu users, instead of the specialist that could apply only the family seal. They'd been completely self-taught as the art had lost its importance among his family long ago. "What would you have wanted me to do, haha-ue, chichi-ue?" he asked softly.

Tears silently fell down his face as he stood in front of the black stone. The wind gently caressing his face, blowing away some of his fallen tears. For whatever reason, the image of the Yotsugi-dono seeing him with her kind eyes appeared before him on the black stone. Alone, cold, and strong. It stood like a symbol of everything she stood for. Her strong figure brought back words that had been spoken by the man whose spot he'd just replaced.

Turning away, Tsuyoki began his long trek back to the Compound. The road before him would not be easy. No one would give him anything, and everything would be placed to block his way. But it was his dream to protect the Yotsugi-dono with his own two hands. We forge our own paths, and she would need a fuuinjutsu user on her quest to greatness. He wouldn't let tradition stop him from his dreams.

* * *

Kakashi crouched quietly in a small group of trees only a couple of meters away from his 'team's' meeting place. From his position, he could observe his would-be students as they suffered, ah learned, from the first part of the test. Naruto-kun was sleeping under a sturdy looking tree. On the other side of the field was Sakura-san and Sasuke-san. Sakura-san going in and out of a seemingly one-sided conversation with Sasuke-san, and Sasuke-san doing his best to imitate a stone. Kakashi thought he was succeeding.

Either way, a quick assessment of the would-be Genin showed they were all unaware of their immediate surroundings. A soft growling sound could be hear from this distance away. From the look on Sakura-san's face, it was her stomach growling. He knew he'd told them to skip breakfast, but the loud groan of her stomach sounded more like she'd missed more than one meal. Did she forget to eat dinner too?

What was the world coming to when kunoichi didn't eat regular meals? He'd have to break her of that habit if she passed this test. Though his second impression on this team didn't lead him to think they'd make it. Maybe it was fate they got him as their Sensei, because they didn't look like they were ready to join the ninja world and any other Sensei would have passed them on Sandaime-sama's orders.

If they weren't ready, then Kakashi wasn't going to send them into harm's way. Those who disregarded orders were trash, but those who let their teammates down were worse than trash. They were his team now, and he might be comfortable being trash, but he wasn't comfortable being worse than that. Never again.

Besides, he was sure Naruto would do well in the next round of Genin teams anyway. He might even take him on as a mini apprenticeship until then. Sandaime-sama owed him a favor after all. It was the other two he was worried about. But they weren't his concern, at least not yet.

No, his charge needed to be taught a lesson about ninja awareness. Traveling fast Kakashi appeared beside Naruto-kun and causally kicked him awake, hard. Instead of Naruto yelling awake in his overly loud way, he popped into a puff of smoke. 'A clone?' No, that can't be right. Kakashi was sure that had been the real Naruto. Naruto-kun might know the shadow clone jutsu, but Kakashi had known it longer and would have been able to spot it.

"Hey!"

Kakashi causally looked up at Naruto-kun high in a tree. He was pleased to see that Naruto-kun's kawarimi no jutsu was getting very good. "Yo," Kakashi replied causally as he leant back into the tree Naruto-kun had been occupying only moments before. He wasn't all that surprised he'd not noticed the clone in that tree before the switch. Naruto-kun was a master at stealth, and if he wasn't actively looking for him, he wasn't likely to see him. Still, Kakashi couldn't let that happen again. He didn't want to give Naruto-kun an even bigger head.

"Don't 'yo' me! I was sleeping down there!" Naruto-kun yelled back as he hopped down from his tree. "That hurt," Naruto continued to murmur as he rubbed his side from phantom pain.

Kakashi smiled at Naruto-kun's childish response. Perhaps, a lesson had been learned after all.

"Well, it was time for you to wake up. I didn't ask you all out here to sleep. It's survival training time. I hope you're all ready?" Kakashi asked to Naruto and the rest of his would-be students. Causing them to come out of their shocked stupors.

Sasuke-san moved toward him with a rapidly turning red Sakura-san in tow.

"You're _late_!" Sakura-san finally yelled.

"Yeah. You're late!" Naruto-kun chimed in, adding his two-ryo.

Sasuke-san also looked like he wanted to accuse him as well even if he didn't say anything. So, he'd picked up some mannerisms from his older brother after all. He was likely to have picked up a lot more. Kakashi would keep that in mind.

"Well, you see. I got lost on the road to life," Kakashi replied causing Naruto-kun to face plant and Sakura-san and Sasuke-san to look at him in disbelief. "But now that I'm here, we can get started." Sakura-san's stomach growled loudly in protest followed shortly by Sasuke-san's growling stomach. Kakashi turned to Naruto-kun expecting the same, but several seconds of silence told him enough. "I see some of you can follow directions."

"Hey, it was an accident."

"Yeah, dope, because food just accidently falls into your mouth."

"Hey temee! I was going to be late and I forgot not to eat! You're just mad you didn't accidently eat too!"

"Yeah, that's alright and good for you guys, but I didn't have dinner either!" Sakura-san complained her stomach growling even louder.

Kakashi cut his students bickering off here. "Well, then you guys will like this," he replied as he pulled out two box lunches. Everyone's eyes gazed hungrily at the two meals.

"But Sensei, there's only two," Naruto-kun stated, the question clear in his eyes.

"Well, clearly Naruto doesn't get one, since he can't follow the rules," Sakura-san commented as she moved to grab one.

"Ah, not so fast," Kakashi replied as the box lunches disappeared back into his jacket. "First, the test." Kakashi pulled the two bells out of his jacket. "I have two bells, two lunches, and three of you. I told you before this will be a survival test. A survival battle in which each of you will attempt to take one of these two bells from me. If you succeed, you'll get lunch and you'll pass."

"But Sensei, there's only two bells," Sakura-san spoke hesitantly, an almost timid timber to her voice.

The smile in Kakashi's eye disappeared. "That is because only two of you will pass. The other will be sent back to the Academy."

There was a moment of silence before Naruto-kun interrupted by attacking him. Kakashi dodged easily while sticking his leg out to trip Naruto-kun. Naruto bounced back ready to go again. "I didn't say start yet, Naruto-kun."

"Then bring it! I will _not_ fail! Not here, not now, not ever! Believe it!"

Naruto-kun's pep talk seemed to cheer up his teammates as well. 'Not bad Naruto-kun. Not bad at all.' "To make it interesting, you have until noon." Kakashi pulled out a timer and set it less than an hour from now. Moving to start the time, Kakashi paused. "If you don't come at me with the intent to kill, you'll never get a bell."

Naruto-kun smiled a frightening grin. "Time's a wasting Sensei."

"Go!"

* * *

No sooner had Kakashi-sensei said 'go' had he and Sakura moved to hide. This was still survival training. The dope of course didn't seem to get the message. Although he couldn't overhear what they were saying, he was sure it had something to do with the dope's stupidity. What the dead last thought he was going to do against a Jounin, Sasuke didn't know. And honestly didn't care. With the dead weight of his two teammates, there wasn't a way in hell he was passing. Best he could do was put up a good enough attempt to get passed along to another team. With any luck, the dope would at least give him enough time to think of something.

As Sasuke sat there watching, attempting to come up with a plan so impressive he'd amaze Kakashi-sensei with his skill, he was actually surprised that no one moved. It didn't make sense. He figured that the dope was fool hardy enough to rush into an attack. After all, he had failed to hide like the rest of them, and he had rushed Kakashi-sensei before the test had even started. It figured that he was an act before he thought type of guy, so he at the very least should be on the attack.

And even if the dope didn't attack right away, Kakashi-sensei should have immediately taken the dope out of the running. If not because he could, then because he planned to teach the dope a valuable lesson in survival training. After all, he had the upper hand. However, he just stood there as if he was surrounded. Of course that couldn't be right. The dope hadn't moved or done any hand signs. There couldn't be anything to worry about. Still, Sensei's attention was squarely on the dope like he was some kind of threat. Again, it didn't make any sense.

Then out of nowhere, it happened. The ground glowed bright red and fireworks, fireworks that were more gunpowder and less color, a particularly deadly alteration, destroyed the spot where Kakashi-sensei had once been. All at once, the battlefield was a light with action. For the next five minutes, the training area was transformed into an intricate dance of clones and traps. Somehow that dope had placed traps over the whole damned field.

And they weren't the simply traps they'd all learned at the Academy either. No, these were something more. While Sasuke hadn't seen many seals in his lifetime, if he had to guess he'd bet that all of those intricate traps were the result of seals. And given the complicated design, he'd guess that these weren't just your regular garden variety seals either. No, these were something more, and he wasn't sure how that was even possible.

Of course, even with the dope's impressive use of seals, Kakashi-sensei was still able to blast through the lot of them. Like any skilled Jounin, he tore through the last of the clones with ease only to dodge a barrage of flying kunai that was flying kunai _with_ explosive tags attached to them. Despite the fact that they were far too close to Sasuke's hiding place for him to be comfortable with, he had to admit that the dope had some talent. Not just anyone could manage that kind of wave of explosive kunai.

Another barrage followed the first forcing Sasuke to change locations. The incoming assault was so quick that he only just made it to new cover before his old hiding place was blown to pieces. All that was left was a hellish shower of metal shrapnel and flames all of it consuming the once tall Konoha trees. As he turned back to the scene still playing out in front of him, he just barely managed to catch the tail end of the dope's next assault.

Watching avidly, his eyes followed Kakashi-sensei's movements as he managed to get ahold of one of the dope's clones. However, the moment he'd caught it the clone popped in a puff of smoke, a wide grin painted across its face. Even to Sasuke, it was fairly obvious that the clone had been a part of another trap. In another second his assumptions were proven correct as Kakashi-sensei's flak jacket glowed a brilliant red before it too blew up taking Sensei with it.

'Kuso!' Sasuke cursed to himself as he continued to watch the scene below. 'How the _hell_ had the _dead last_ been able to do _any_ of that!? He hadn't shown any of these skills in class, so why now?' he asked himself as he took a closer look at the scene. On closer inspection, it looked like the flak jacket was attached to a stump, or what could have been a stump, rather than their new Sensei.

Sasuke let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. 'So, the dope still isn't good enough to best a Jounin,' he thought with a relieved sigh. He was still probably better than him. Settling back into his spot in the tree, Sasuke watched Naruto approach the flak jacket during the small calm that had followed his last attack. Obviously checking for bells, Sasuke surmised there hadn't been one left for him when he heard the disappointed sigh that escaped from the dope's mouth. That was not good. It could only mean that a good showing wouldn't be enough to get a bell. Which meant he was going to have to come up with a new plan. They were actually going to have to grab them to win.

Suddenly, as if from nowhere, Kakashi-sensei reappeared, his clothes a little singed, already in the process of forming a very familiar hand sign. 'Shit, I know that sign. The dope's in a lot of trouble,' he thought as his body moved automatically. "Naruto watch out!" he yelled, but it was already too late.

"One thousand years of pain!"

"HAAAAA!" Naruto screamed as he popped out of existence. Clearly, he hadn't been able to make a substitute fast enough with one of his nearby clones.

Cursing, Sasuke moved away from the immediate area to a better hiding place. He'd just given away his previous location for nothing. But that was fine. With the knowledge he'd gained from previous spars with his brother as well as all that he'd learned from watching Naruto's fight, he knew what he had to do. There was just no way he, or any of them really, would be able to win a one-on-one battle against Kakashi-sensei. Additionally, it seemed that Sensei wouldn't just give him a bell if he could impress him. That left just one option. He was going to have to team up with the dope.

Shaking his head, Sasuke started his search for his brightly dressed teammate. He wasn't sure when the dope had gotten so good with seals, but his display had been impressive. Thinking about it now, he had just the plan to get ahold of those bells. Of course, it would only work if they worked together.

Now, he was going to have to convince the dope that they would only stand a chance against Kakashi-sensei if they fought together. There were two bells, and two of them. Sasuke was pretty sure that Sakura would only slow them down. Now if only he could find the dope. 'It really shouldn't be this hard,' he thought as he continued his search.

Finally, after several minutes of searching, he managed to find his deceptively hard to track teammate.

"What do you want Sasuke-me?" the dope questioned him as he landed beside him. Sasuke was a little peeved that he didn't even bother to look up at him. Shaking the slight from his mind, Sasuke went straight to why he was here. He didn't want to talk to the dope any longer than he had to.

"You can't win this by yourself," he stated simply as he shifted slightly on the tree branch he was standing on, absentmindedly taking note of the Naruto clone on watch a couple of trees over.

"No, I got this. I just went at him in the wrong way. I don't need _your_ help," the dope countered, but Sasuke wasn't about to give up that easily. He wanted to win. So, if the only way he could do that was with Naruto, then he'd get the dope's help.

"No, you don't," he replied easily, confident in his next argument. "He's not just a Jounin level shinobi. He was in Anbu, a Captain like my brother no less. No _single_ Genin is going to be able to take him down," he finished. The dope finally looked over at him with his statement. Sasuke hid a smile, pleased to see that he'd finally gotten the dope's attention.

"So you're saying even the great Sasuke-me can't take him on?" the dope teased, but Sasuke didn't let it get to him. He was going to be on this team no matter what it took.

"No, not even myself," he replied seriously. "At least not alone," he continued looking the dope right in the eye as he spoke.

"So, you want to team up?" the dope questioned and Sasuke took that as a sign that he'd finally convinced the dope.

"Come on, I've got a plan," Sasuke replied simply, a light grin on his face. This might work.

* * *

Sakura stumbled over the foliage below as she shook the remains of the genjutsu Kakashi-sensei had put on her. She considered herself fairly well versed in genjutsu, she had been the best at the Academy after all, but Sensei's genjutsu was something else. It had seemed _so_ real, nothing like the type of genjutsu they used in the Academy. For those few minutes she'd been lost to the jutsu, Sasuke-kun had _really_ been in danger. He'd _really_ been dead. At least it had seemed that way to her. And the worst part was the reason he'd died. It had all been because she hadn't been strong enough to help.

Of course, now that she was no longer under the major effects of the genjutsu, she realized that wasn't the case. She was strong. She was the _best_ kunoichi in her graduating class, and that meant something. Which was why she was currently scouring the training area to find Sasuke-kun. She was sure that if they combined their skills and teamed up, they would be able to get the bells from Kakashi-sensei.

Normally, she wouldn't bother Sasuke-kun with her assistance, but after watching Naruto's battle against Kakashi-sensei, she knew that he wouldn't be able to do it alone. As strong as Sasuke-kun was, he was definitely going to need some extra help against their stronger Sensei.

Unfortunately, it had been that desire to find Sasuke-kun that Kakashi-sensei had used against her. She'd let her guard down in her hurried search and hadn't felt the genjutsu being placed on her. So, when she'd thought she'd finally managed to find him, the sight she'd seen wasn't something she could easily live with. Sakura shivered, stumbling upon Kakashi-sensei brutally defeating Sasuke-kun had really shaken her.

'**And the Baka would have sat there and laughed! Where does that Baka get off being that strong anyway!?'** her inner voice raged in her head. Sakura couldn't help but agree with her violent inner thoughts. She was just as angry with Naruto as she was with herself for failing Sasuke-kun. That Baka had shown such amazing skill and strategy when fighting against their Sensei. Naruto, the _dead last_, had actually held his own against a Jounin. She was beyond angry because that could only mean one thing. He must have hid his abilities while attending the Academy.

Which of course meant that she couldn't trust what she knew of his skill from their Academy days. It also led to the conclusion that if Naruto could do it, hide his abilities so well that he went so far as to 'fail' the Genin exam just to keep up the presence of stupidity, then why couldn't anyone else do the same? Who was to say that the skills and abilities she'd witnessed at the Academy from _any_ of her classmates was their limit? How was she supposed to know _anything_ about their skill set when she couldn't trust what she'd seen with her own eyes?

Thanks to Naruto, she had no idea who else could have hidden talents. Heck, she wasn't even sure if she was still stronger than the dead last.

'**That Baka has some explaining to do! Some nerve too! Pretending like he was weak and stupid during class, when he knew all this interesting seal stuff! We ought to teach him a thing or two.' **Her inner voice continued to rage.

Of course he had struggled with creating a simple bunshin. Had that been an act too? At the time, it hadn't looked like he was pretending. She and everyone else in the class had _seen_ him struggle constantly with some of the simplest techniques. But that didn't explain how he could now preform an even more complicated version of bunshin. Making solid clones was a heck of a lot harder than the simple technique they'd learned at the Academy.

'**Obviously he was hiding that too! He was faking the whole time! He knew he'd never be good enough to beat Sasuke-kun out right, so he came in dead last to get on the best team!'** her inner voice justified, the rage in its tone almost all-consuming.

Sakura shook her head. The scenario would have made sense if there was a reason for him to come in dead last, but the Baka wasn't friends with Sasuke-kun or her for that matter. They barely managed civil conversation when they were in the same room. So, no matter how much Inner Sakura raged, it just didn't make sense. How could Naruto have become _this_ good?

Sakura stopped suddenly when she heard the sounds of battle ahead. Was that Sasuke-kun or Naruto at it again? Crouching low, Sakura got a good look at the fight in front of her. It was Sasuke-kun, but it also looked like there were three of him? That couldn't be right.

It was only when the bunshin made solid contact with Kakashi-sensei that the pieces seemed to line up. It seemed that her precious Sasuke-kun had teamed up with none other than the dead last! But why?!

'**That backstabbing, two-timing, CHEATER! I'm going to string him up by his balls and paint his face pink. He thinks he can team up with that BAKA instead of ME! I hope they **_**fail**_**!'** Her inner voice nearly howled its anger as her eyes continued to take in the scene before her.

Unfortunately, though she hated to admit it, they were good, really good. Sasuke-kun distracted their Sensei with several powerful, well-timed fireballs. The action causing Sensei to land in the middle of one of Naruto's seal circles.

"Kuso." Sakura heard Kakashi-sensei mutter as he disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

Where was he? Right, left, up, no… Kakashi-sensei exploded from the ground pulling Sasuke-kun under only for him to disappear in a puff of smoke. At that point, the sun light beamed down on to Sensei as he looked around. A sudden flash drew Sakura's eyes to the ninja wire attached to Sensei's hip. 'The bells!'

Reacting immediately, Sensei severed the wire causing a series of explosions to go off around him. Each bigger than the last. Stunned, Sakura found herself coming out of hiding on instinct. 'Had they killed their Sensei?' she thought as she continued forward into the clearing.

When the smoke cleared, Naruto and Sasuke-kun stood confidently with the bells in hand. Kakashi-sensei scorched in several different places, but otherwise unharmed in front of him.

Working together, Naruto and Sasuke-kun had gotten the bells. She was the only one who hadn't. She'd lost. **'There ain't no way we're going back to the Academy! We're the top kunoichi! TOP! Our ninja career can't end here!'** her inner voice yelled, completely refusing to believe that the situation was hopeless.

"We got the bells, Sensei. That means we won!" Naruto shouted in joy, jumping up and down and doing a little dance. It was Sasuke-kun's smug look that destroyed her. Her head bowed at the knowledge, she had really, truly, failed. She was going back to the Academy.

"You mean these bells?"

Sakura's head shot up at their Sensei's statement. Where just seconds ago the bells were in Naruto and Sasuke-kun's hands, now they were absent. She shook with shock. She'd _seen_ it. Together they had gotten the bells, but now. Turning her head back towards Kakashi-sensei, she noticed the bells were back at his waist, leaving her two teammates completely empty handed.

"What? No! That's not _fair_! We got the bells fair and square!" Naruto yelled in protest and though it hurt for her to admit it. He was right.

"But you didn't keep them now did you?" Sasuke-kun glared at Kakashi-sensei for his statement, a dark look that nearly sent shivers down her spine. Looking at her other teammate, she noticed the growing red coloring to his face as he shook, shuttering and muttering nonsense.

_Buzz. Buzz. Buzz._

"And that would be the timer. And seeing as none of you have a bell that means you all _fail_," Kakashi-sensei stated simply.

"Bastard," Naruto bit out, unable to hide his anger.

"You're to fail us on a technicality?" Sasuke-kun asked with a raised brow. Sakura wasn't sure how he could keep his cool given he'd just been told he'd failed, but she chalked it up to him being himself. Sasuke-kun was just amazing like that.

Speechless herself, Sakura wasn't sure what to say to this new information.

"Hai. But fear not, I'm only going to send Sakura-san back to the Academy," Sensei continued, not even bothering to address Sasuke-kun's question.

"Me?" Sakura asked, her inner voiced raged at how meek she sounded.

"Yoshi! We're going to be Genin! Here I come Princess of Konoha," Naruto shouted, already jumping for joy. The display left a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"No, you three have failed to grasp what this test was really about. There's a reason they put you in three-man teams," Kakashi-sensei explained, a disapproving look coloring the small part of his face they could see. "And to think that two Genin fresh out of the Academy could take on a seasoned Jounin. Ha! Naruto-kun, Sasuke-san, I'm the most disappointed with you. Clearly, you two have failed to grasp one of the most important aspects of being a shinobi. So, instead of sending you back to the Academy, I'm recommending that you be dropped as ninja completely."

"What? No! I worked hard to get here!" Naruto complained earnestly, no longer jumping around the clearing.

"Please Kakashi-sensei, just give us one more chance," Sakura pleaded as she stepped out from behind her two teammates. She may not have contributed much to the last hour of fighting, but she wasn't going to continue to sit back and watch as Naruto and Sasuke-kun got booted from the ninja program. They had fought their Sensei and succeeded somewhat. No matter how much she disliked Naruto, it just wouldn't be fair to bar them from becoming ninja. "Please, Sensei. I don't want to go back to the Academy. And Naruto and Sasuke-kun don't deserve to be barred from being ninja. Just give us _one_ more chance."

There was a long pause as Kakashi-sensei took in all three of them before he relented. "Alright. One more chance after lunch. But since Sakura-san didn't even attempt to get a bell, she's going to be tied up to the post with no lunch."

Sakura sighed as she listened to her inner voice rant about the unfairness. No matter what inner Sakura said, she knew this was the fairest decision. Out of the three of them, she had contributed the least to their test.

"And no one, _no one_ is to feed her. If you do, you fail," Kakashi warned before he pulled some rope from seemingly out of nowhere. The inner voice in her head seemed to almost scream at the prospect of being tied up and made to watch the others eat. And she couldn't help but agree. If anyone needed food, it was her.

Distracted by her inner thoughts, Sakura missed Naruto's strange behavior as he tilted his head to the side. "Alright, the coast is clear," he whispered before he moved to untie her.

"What are you doing?" she asked alarmed. "You'll fail…" she tried to continue only to be interrupted by Naruto.

"You're going to need your hands to eat," he said simply as if that explained everything.

Bewildered, Sakura turned to see what Sasuke-kun thought only to see his nod of agreement.

"We'll have to figure something out. There must be a way around there only being two bells," Sasuke-kun muttered while setting his food down so he could get up and help Naruto untie her.

"What do you mean?" she asked while rubbing her wrists. They were still sore from the small amount of time she'd spent tied to the post.

"If the two of us couldn't get the bells and keep them, then we're going to need your help Sakura," Naruto explained while handing her his half eaten plate. "There must be something we've missed," he continued as Sasuke-kun moved to give her what was left of his meal. "There has to be something underneath the underneath…" he trailed off, completely lost to the world.

Sakura thought it was rather strange to see him like this, obviously lost in thought as he tried to come up with a new plan.

"Look, all I know is we'll need to eat to be strong for the next part of the test so hurry up and finish eating. We're going to have to tie you back up before Kakashi-sensei gets back," Naruto stated once he'd returned to the world. Sakura continued to eat as fast as she could, only slightly embarrassed by how undignified she must have seemed. Shaking that thought from her head, she turned back to her teammates. "I've a few more areas that have a good amount of traps still up so we'll plan the attack over there," Naruto stated as the last of the food was consumed.

Climbing back to her feet, Sakura headed back to the post only to be stopped by the loud sound of Kakashi-sensei's angry voice.

"You all fail!" he yelled as ominous clouds seemingly appearing from nowhere. "Not only did you release Sakura before I told you to, but you also fed her," he accused.

"You have no proof of that last one," Naruto yelled right back.

"There's a piece of rice still stuck on her face. I have more than enough proof," Sensei countered. Slowly, she raised a hand to her face, only to realize that he was correct. Now, not only were they in trouble, but she was also completely mortified. "Now what to do with you?" Sensei pondered aloud.

For a while no one spoke, no one even chanced to move. However, the quiet didn't last long as Sakura spied the calculated grin that grew across Naruto's face.

"You should pass us," Naruto demanded.

"And why should I do that?" Kakashi-sensei countered.

"Because we passed your test. We fed Sakura because she needed to be as close to one hundred percent in order to fight with us. We are fully prepared to fight you again, together, as a team despite the fact that one of us still might not get a bell. We're a _team_," Naruto explained.

"Yeah, we're a team," Sakura agreed, completely blown away by Naruto's speech.

"Hai," Sasuke-kun added with a curt nod. They _were_ a team and they were going to act that way.

"Well, I guess that only means one thing. You all…" Sensei began ominously, his disappointment clear. "Pass," he continued leaving them all speechless. "You all pass because you've finally grasped what it means to be a Konoha shinobi. We work in teams for a reason. And while those who don't follow the rules are trash, those who leave their teammates behind are _worse_ than trash. Always remember that your teammates are _always_ more important than the completion of the mission."

For a moment no one spoke. They were all too stunned to even move. Then out of nowhere Naruto shouted. "Yatta!" The tension broken, they all cheered their success.

"You know what this calls for?" Naruto asked as they all calmed down from the good news. "This calls for ramen!"

"Baka!" "Dope!" Sakura and Sasuke-kun yelled together.

"Hey, it's the only good way to celebrate," he defended as they all headed back towards the village.

It was official. They were Team Seven, Team Kakashi.

* * *

**KJ's _awesome_ Japanese corner.** (Because we all knew this is the real reason you're reading…)

_(1) Haha-ue and chichi-ue_. This is a respectful way to address one's own parents. Similar to ani and ane (if you remember last corner… yeah, I'm looking at you hard… you short memory people…), haha and chichi is how one would talk about their own mother or father, respectfully. Adding the ue, which means above, is an honorific that shows a high level of respect to the name attached. Hinata would use this honorific when talking about her father.

_(2) Hyuuga Hinata's titles –_ a review of Hinata's many titles. Hinata is called many things, none of them her own name. This is solely because of her position within the village. To her family (the Hyuuga clan), she is the world's heir or Yotsugi-dono. To the village and the Fire Nation, she is the next successor or Koushi-sama. To her father, she is his heir, Reishi. But you will know her as the Princess of Konoha. And if you didn't know it yet, Naruto will be sure to tell you. In fact, it is one of his life mission to make sure the world knows about the Princess of Konoha, and soon enough the world will. Currently, Naruto, as the respectful shinobi he is, calls her Hyuuga-hime. After all, there's no other way to address a princess.

* * *

**AN:** Hello all, so now that you've read the chapter some of you may have noticed Kakashi mentioning he could tell a shadow clone apart from the real deal. Now as you may know, this is a deviation from canon. As typically described in the Naruto world, shadow clones cannot be distinguished from the original (except that one time that Sasuke did it, but I don't like to count that). However, for our story to work the way we wanted it to, we had to change the mechanics of the shadow clone jutsu up a little. Now, I would say I'm sorry for this, but I'm not. This decision works for our story and doesn't really change much about the overall jutsu. We do however hope that this small change in the mechanics of such an iconic jutsu does not mean we lose you as a reader. Please do continue on this journey with us. Anyway, thanks and see you next week.


	8. D Ranks

**AN**: Hello all, here's the next chapter for this story. We hope you enjoy reading and as always visit the tumblr page (see link on my author's page) for the full experience.

**P.S.** - We still own nothing. And you may have noticed the list for new Japanese words has shorten, (gasp) there may be a time where you should know _all_ of the Japanese in a chapter. Anyway the list is provided below:

**Denshi jisho **(dictionary)

Ani - my older brother (used when referring to one's own family like Ane from previous chapters)

Nani - what? (similar to nan da)

* * *

_**Arc – Genin Exam**_

_Chapter Six – D ranks, oh my!_

The sun's bright rays filtered through the heavy cover of leaves above, a thick canopy blocking the quiet blue sky. A light breeze shifted the brilliant green leaves of the trees as birds fluttered among branches. They tittered peacefully, humming soft songs in the background as they called to each other. Bluebirds calling bluebirds, their small-feathered breasts filled with song and joy as they went about their day.

A harmonious click, click, click sounded as squirrels scurried up trees, their sharp nails tapping out a playful cadence against the hard bark surface. The light rustling of leaves only adding to the quaint little melody that floated through the peaceful Konoha forest. The world was at rest.

That was until a sudden movement high above the trees disturbed this quiet scene of tranquility. Birds fluttered in annoyance, their soft songs turning into sharp shrills as they protested the intrusion of a dark haired figure. Squirrels scattered as the figure made his way through the treetops, unconcerned for the wildlife he'd just interrupted.

"I'm in position," the figure mumbled into his microphone as he stood still on a thick branch.

"Blondie here, please use your codename, out," a familiar hyperactive voice called over the comm.

"Do I have to?" the figure replied as a frown creased his features.

"If I have to then you have to, Cyclops out," an overly bored voice answered over the comm.

"Fine, Duck-Butt in position," he replied with a huff, shifting slightly in his spot so that he had a better vantage point.

"Thank you Duck-Butt," the hyperactive voice responded, his voice dripping with barely contained laughter. "Pinky are you in position?"

"I'm here and ready when you are Blondie," a bright female voice replied.

"Okay, I'm in position. Let's do this, Blondie out," the hyperactive voice called out, giving the go ahead to move.

Shaking his head in annoyance, the dark haired figure lunged for the brown tabby cat hiding among the surrounding bushes. Hands outstretched, he came within a hairs breathe of catching the mildly obese feline before it darted away.

Cursing under his breathe, the figure gave chase, taking a small moment to thank the gods that at least the damn cat was heading in the right direction. Suddenly a flash of pink came at his right, forcing the brown tabby to swerve left and run directly into the waiting arms of his blond teammate.

"I've got it," Naruto called out as he fought to hold on to the squirming feline. Sasuke watched as the damn cat hissed and scratched and bit at his idiot of a teammate and grinned. He may have been stuck with a horrible codename, but at least he didn't have to deal with Tora the devil cat.

"Make sure you check for identifying markers," Kakashi-sensei reminded them as he dropped down from his perch in the trees, small orange book firmly in hand.

"Easy there Naruto," Sakura stated as she checked over the cat. "If you hold her too tight you'll end up hurting her."

"Well excuse me, but you're not the one holding Satan's spawn," the dope bit back as he continued to struggle with the overweight feline. It hissed and bit at him causing Naruto to glare darkly at it. "I've got just the seal for this one," he muttered under his breath immediately drawing their Sensei's attention.

"Now Naruto _that_ would be counter to our current objective," Kakashi-sensei reprimanded. "We're here to retrieve and return Tora to her owner _not_ injure, maim or kill her," he finished without looking up from his little orange book.

"I got it," Naruto replied angrily as he continued to battle Tora. By the number of scratch and bite marks, Sasuke was pretty sure he was losing that fight.

"_Naruto_, if you could stop moving around for a moment, then I can verify the mark," Sakura nearly growled at the dope.

"I'm not _trying_ to move," he complained as he thrust the cat out in her direction. "Here, look already."

"Okay, this is Tora. She's got all the right markers, red ribbon on the right ear and all," Sakura replied before taking the squirming feline from the dope's arms. Sasuke scoffed as he watched the damn animal relax in her arms. It didn't do that for anyone else on their team and he wasn't entirely sure why. It was just a stupid cat, someone as talented as he should have been able to handle the thing, but that wasn't the case. If he tried to hold it, he'd end up looking like a human scratching post just like the dope.

"Well then, I guess Operation Capture Tora is complete," Kakashi-sensei announced as he turned to leave. Quickly they all fell into step as they following him back to the Hokage's Tower.

The quiet journey back was interrupted by the dope as he continued to rub his red scratch marks. "You know we could have done that a whole lot faster if you'd just let me use my clones," Naruto complained as he fished out a bottle of ointment from a seal in his jacket. Sasuke wasn't all that surprised he was carrying something like that around. This was their third time in two weeks catching the damn cat. Even he had a small bottle of ointment hidden away in his pants pocket. "We could actually do more D rank missions if you just let me handle them," the dope continued as they made their way out of the surrounding forest.

"We've been over this before Naruto," Sensei began dryly, his eyes still firmly on the pages of his book. "You can only take out one D rank at a time as a team, but more importantly you completing the missions on your own would defeat the point of this as a _team_ exercise," he continued, absentmindedly flipping the page. "Besides, Tora would destroy all of your clones before you could catch her."

"Dope, you can barely catch Tora _with_ us helping. What makes you think you can do it on your own?" Sasuke asked, more than willing to stir the pot a little. They were all getting a little too buddy-buddy for his tastes.

"If I didn't have to worry about the _alive_ part," Naruto mumbled lightly to himself. He probably hadn't wanted them to hear him but given that they were all still wearing their radios, his statement was heard loud and clear.

"But the alive part it the most important part, Naruto-kun," Kakashi-sensei replied, an overly amused smile to his voice.

Shaking his head, Sasuke turned back to his own thoughts. He wasn't sure why anyone would _want_ to do more D rank missions, let alone the dope. They were really little more than chores, simple tasks that most people were just too lazy to do on their own. 'I guess the dope will always be the dope,' he thought as he continued to follow quietly, studiously ignoring the constant chatter that Sakura continued to force upon him.

* * *

Cursing quietly to himself, Naruto didn't bother to voice any more of his thoughts as he followed his team back to the Hokage's Tower. He knew that was the point of the exercise, but he'd still not found a way to house live animals in his storage scroll. If he could just get that to work, then he was positive he could come up with a working plan to catch that stupid devil cat.

Naruto sighed as he thought of his predicament. He'd thought about using a simple binding seal, but Kakashi-sensei had turned that idea down fast. So what if the strength of the seal varied to the degree it could crush every bone in the devil cat's body? He had good enough chakra control for something like that. No, Sensei had to point out that you needed at least five seconds of no movement for that type of seal to work. Sensei was right, of course, but Naruto had been able to tweak the seal to allow for only two seconds of stillness. Soon enough, he'd get it down to working almost instantly.

But that wouldn't help him here and now. And it especially wouldn't answer his problems with the sealing scroll. Naruto's frown deepened as he thought of his current options. The binding seal he could work with, sure. But the storage scroll would be nearly impossible to fix. How could he test the new seal ideas if he couldn't use living animals? He just wasn't willing to risk more animal lives. He shivered briefly as he thought of all of those dead frogs. Pranks really shouldn't go that far…

Shaking himself out of the funk he'd driven himself to, Naruto turned back to the real reason he kept pushing the idea despite the fact that Kakashi-sensei had already explained the situation to him. He could understand that he wasn't ready to take on whole missions by himself, but that didn't really change the facts. He needed money, and this one D rank mission a day wasn't cutting it for his bottom line. Yeah, he'd gotten lucky winning that scratch off the other day, but that money wasn't going to hold him over forever. Eventually, he'd have to come up with a better way to make money.

Strange, but it hadn't been until he'd become a Genin and stopped receiving his stipend that he realized just how much money it really was. Jiji's stipend had kept him going and allowed him to buy enough supplies for his seals. Unfortunately, he was starting to find out that trying to make that kind of bank wasn't going to be an easy task.

So yeah, Naruto either wanted a harder mission, where the real money was, or more of the small stuff. He had to worry about more than eating and keeping his kunai supply up to code. No, if he wanted to continue to advance his fuuinjutsu skills then he had to make sure he had adequate supplies. And regrettably, he was running dangerously low on those much needed seal making materials. It wasn't like that stuff came cheap after all. And he couldn't help it that he was rather particular about the type of ink he used. Hey, ink was important. The wrong lead content could completely disrupt an otherwise perfectly good seal. He'd learned that the hard way.

Of course, it also didn't help that the D ranks were both low paying _and_ boring. They were just _so_ boring. No really, he'd actually managed to fall asleep doing one once _that's_ how boring it had been. Nothing should be that boring. Heck, the Academy hadn't been that boring, and Naruto had _hated_ the Academy. He'd actually taken to working on his chakra control exercises just to keep himself from dreamland. They were useful yet even he could admit that they only went so far. There was just too much time on his hands without the Academy filling up his day six days a week. He was really going to need to find a new hobby. Hopefully, something not quite as expensive as seal making.

'Oh well, dreamland isn't so bad,' he thought as they made their way up the long staircase. And it was true. He'd managed to come up with some pretty awesome new seal ideas while he daydreamed. They were pretty interesting combinations that he couldn't wait to try out, only that brought him back to his original problem. He didn't really have the money to try out every new seal he came up with. At least not if he had to continue to pay the absurdly high price for his preferred ink. Just because it was an import didn't mean they could continue to price gouge him.

'Ha,' he laughed internally at his current predicament. If only he could convince Kakashi-sensei to either give them more D rank missions, or better yet, a C rank then his problem would be solved.

Naruto jumped up in excitement, promptly winching before carrying himself more gingerly. So maybe he wasn't going to convince Sensei today. Capturing that demon cat always took a lot out of him. So, he was pretty sure he didn't have the energy required to change Kakashi-sensei's mind.

Naruto turned to glare at the cause of his ailments. On any other devil cat, he wouldn't have hesitated to prank the color off that fat bastard, but considering the rather lively reception Tora received from its owner Naruto was willing to pass. Grinning wickedly, he nodded his head at the best possible prank on Satan's best friend. The best torture was returning that demon cat _back_ to her owner. He didn't even wince at the sound of crushing bones as the Daimyo's wife hugged her precious pet to her. He _might_ have felt sorry for it if not for the horrible scratch marks still stinging on his face and hands, but then again, maybe not.

* * *

Naruto had finally caved into buying bulk ingredients to make his own ink. Although he'd had to forgo two weeks of eating at Ramen Ichiraku so that he could save up enough money to afford it. He was sure this would be totally worth it.

He'd been so excited to delve into the creation of his own ink composites that he'd spent all of the previous afternoon following team training working on it. He'd created different composites of the ink he'd normally used based off of some of his own theoretical work on lead concentrations versus chakra activations. The calculations behind it had been some of the toughest stuff he'd worked with yet. Still, the basic calculations were necessary for any new seal creation, something Naruto had learned at the beginning of his training in fuuinjutsu. In the end, those hours of learning complex mathematics had paid off exponentially. Hopefully, those gains would include his latest work, his own sealing ink.

Eager to see if the numerous of different lead concentrations that he'd managed to create actually worked the way he thought they would, he'd ended up waking up at three in the morning just to test them out before their team meet up time. Considering he'd woken up well before the official eight o'clock meeting time for Team Kakashi, he figured he'd have plenty of time to test them all.

Using the lightest ink composite and a basic seal, Naruto added the tiniest amounts of chakra to the seal. It glowed red for a moment, but otherwise didn't blow up.

"Yatta!"

"Awesome boss!"

"High fives!"

Naruto high fived the two clones he had helping him and got back to work. There were forty-one more ink composites to try.

Sunlight shone errantly into his eyes as he tried to finish his strokes for his last seal. Ink 42 was the heaviest he had, and it made the ink vicious and hard to get the strokes just right when writing. The light flashed in his eyes once more making him jerk up with his hand messing the whole seal up in the process. "Dang it! Who opened the darn blinds?"

"Not me, boss." Naruto glared at the other clone.

"Nope."

"Well, than…" Turning to the window, Naruto realized for the first time that the blinds were as closed as they had been when he started. The only difference was the position of the sun.

'Shimatta!' It was nearing noon already. Naruto was four hours late to the team meeting, which wouldn't have been that big a deal, except that even Kakashi-sensei would likely be there soon.

"Shimatta! Why didn't anyone tell me it was past eight?" Naruto frantically ran around his apartment, hastily gathering his supplies. His stomach growled for the first time, telling him of its displeasure as well.

"I was working with you, boss. It was _that_ one's responsibility to remind you."

"No it wasn't! No one said that was what I was supposed to do! I thought I was here for moral support and the recording. Someone has to take notes! We both know _he_ won't," his clone defended, pointing an accusing finger at the other clone standing beside him.

"_Temee_? You saying I'm _lazy_? I was the one helping with the _actual_ sealing while _you_ just talked to yourself the entire _time_!"

Naruto tuned out the rest of the argument. He just couldn't seem to get along with himself for long periods of time. Someone always pushed the wrong buttons. Quickly, he finished packing, grabbing a power snack on his way out the door. He didn't bother to dismiss his clones. They'd pop themselves out soon enough. The fighting always got physical.

Naruto sighed heavily as he ran along the rooftops. He was getting worse and worse with getting to the bridge on time. Every day now, he'd either sleep in a little later (because he'd been up too late messing with a new seal), or he'd be so into his work that the time would just pass him by like today. He'd thought he'd be okay as long as he was never later than Kakashi-sensei. It wasn't like they did anything while they waited for their chronically late Sensei anyway.

Of course that fact never stopped Sakura from yelling at him if he was late, but that didn't matter if he was a couple of minutes later versus a couple of hours. No, what he was worried about was what Kakashi-sensei would say. He'd never been later then Sensei before. Unfortunately, he was pretty sure that would be the case today.

Naruto hopped off the roof as he headed toward the bridge. He could see three figures. Dang, Sensei had beat him. Oh well, there wasn't anything he could do about it now. Naruto finished off his snack as he skidded to a halt in front of his teammates.

"You're _late_!"

"Finally dope."

"Glad you could make it Naruto-kun."

Was it really his fault he got side tracked so easily?

* * *

Resting leisurely against the bark of one of the numerous trees littering their team training grounds, Kakashi scanned the area, taking note of the scene before him as his team finished the latest teamwork exercise he'd assigned them. While not perfect, they _were_ getting better at working as a team. Naruto and Sasuke had even started to anticipate the others actions. Now, if only he could get Sasuke to work more with Sakura, or Sakura to work more with Naruto for that matter.

He wasn't entirely sure why they were having such a difficult time learning to work together. After nearly a month and a half of teamwork exercises and lectures about the importance of teamwork, he'd assumed they would at least tentatively work together as a team. However, that still was not the case.

Despite working together for six weeks, there were still major trust issues in their team dynamic. Sasuke refused to trust Sakura to complete a number of tasks, mostly those involving physical exertion. He seemed fine taking her informative advice, words on the history of objects and how they might better be used and things of a similar nature. However, the majority of their tasks were physical in nature, so that small amount of progress had limited uses.

At least Sasuke was willing to take some of her opinions to heart. Unfortunately the same could not be said about Sakura's ability to work with Naruto. Shaking his head in disappointment, Kakashi thought back to the last time Sakura's inability to trust in Naruto's skills had hindered their ability to tackle a teamwork exercise. She just refused to believe that Naruto could do anything effectively which unfortunately put a major strain on their effectiveness as a team.

He really wasn't sure what he could do differently to motivate them into working more as a team other than continue their teamwork exercises. He figured they would eventually figure out how to work as a team. He just hadn't thought it would take this long. Which was why the last time he'd managed to get Itachi-kun to their favorite bar, he'd complained about his little problem.

Sometime after they'd started training they're Genin teams officially, Itachi-kun had managed to make their infrequent outings into weekly nagging, ah meeting sessions. Which he really couldn't complain about because it allowed him to help one of his few friends.

Typically he would just sit there and sip his sake while Itachi-kun grilled him on his training methods and used him as a sounding board for his own team training, but every once in a while he'd complain about his team's lack of trust. It had been one of these very moments that Itachi-kun had finally swayed him to change his training methods.

Itachi-kun had finally convinced him that his team's lack in trust was not enough reason to continue his current training methods. Just because they couldn't work together properly, didn't mean that he shouldn't focus on improving the other skills they had. Itachi-kun had convinced him in his typically calm voice that the strength in the individual could bring strength in the team. Perhaps by growing together in physical ability they would learn to trust in each other and thus learn to work as a team.

At that point, Kakashi couldn't really continue to deny Itachi-kun's logic. He did have a point. Well, that and he didn't particularly want to have to hear about it again. So that was how he found himself here. He was going to give it a try.

"Okay guys, that's enough team work exercises for today," he called from his spot against the tree.

At the sound of his words, they immediately reacted. As always Naruto-kun was the fastest to break formation, spinning on his heels in his quest to not stay a second longer than he had to. Kakashi was just glad he'd chosen to walk out of the training field instead of his more famous exits. With a shake of his head he called him back. "Naruto-kun, I didn't say we were done."

"Uh?" Naruto-kun replied stunned and obviously annoyed. He really shouldn't have been surprised. That boy would rather be cooped up in a damp, dark hole working on some seal then interacting with his teammates. That was another thing he'd have to work on with them.

"Today I want to work on your chakra control," Kakashi started only to immediately lose Naruto-kun's interest. Taking a quick glance around him, he noticed that only Sakura-san was still listening to him. Sasuke-san looked about as bored as he normally looked when Sakura-san talked to him, actually he seemed even more bored if that was even possible. Kakashi paused in thought, was he really _that_ boring? He must have been because he was losing them pretty fast. A sweat drop appeared on his forehead as he pushed forward with his training plan.

"We're going to climb trees…" he began only to be distracted by the sight of Naruto turning to leave. "Where are you going?" he asked confused. He'd been sure that climbing trees would have at least gotten some form of reaction, not this clear lack of interest.

"Already know how to do that one, Kakashi-sensei. Right now, I've got a seal calling my name. See you tomorrow," he replied flippantly before disappearing in a puff of smoke. He should have known it wouldn't be long before he used _that_ exit. Naruto was really getting good at replacing himself with a clone and then having the clone expel itself. It was a unique way of using the substitution jutsu, although it didn't really get him all that far away. At least it looked cool. Kakashi had to give him points for style.

Kakashi couldn't say he was all that surprised with Naruto's response either. Still, he'd thought that Naruto would at least want to show off a little before bolting. Well, it looked like Naruto-kun was becoming a serious ninja. He'd have to get him an _Icha Icha Paradise_ novel soon in celebration.

As Kakashi contemplated which _Icha Icha_ would be the best gift for a first timer, perhaps _Icha Icha Firsts_, Sasuke-san also turned to leave. Kakashi caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and immediately found himself in front of his rather moody student. "And where do you think you're going Sasuke-san?" he asked as his one good eye stared down at his wayward pupil.

"Ani already taught me that one so I guess I'll see you tomorrow Sensei," Sasuke-san replied before an audible pop could be heard and a solid piece of wood replaced him. Kakashi internally shrugged, it seemed like Sasuke-san was picking up on Naruto-kun's tricks. If they didn't already work so well together he'd call that a small victory for the day.

Again, Kakashi supposed he shouldn't have been _that_ surprised about that little piece of information either. He'd already known that Itachi-kun had trained Sasuke-san some. He'd just not known to what extent. Still, it was best to find out where his students stood on this technique all at once. He'd have to plan accordingly next time.

"Well Sakura-san what are you still doing here? Not going to tell me you already know this one too are you? Did you pick it up from a book or something?" he asked as he causally turned to his last student.

"Sorry Kakashi-sensei, but I've never even heard of this technique," she replied easily.

"Guess it will be just you and me today then. Alright this is what you have to do," Kakashi started as he jumped into his prepared lesson.

* * *

Hopping down from the tree his clone had once been occupying, Naruto headed towards his favorite clearing. He was excited to start working on some of the ideas that had been swirling around his head during training. Too excited in fact to sit around in the darkness of his apartment, so while he still had the sun, he planned to make good use of it.

It was a good thing that he never left home without his sealing supplies. You could never be too prepared after all.

With a lightness to his step, Naruto thought about some of the different problems he had that he wanted to try to solve via seals. The one single most prevalent issue still on his mind was the restricted distance at which he could perform the replacement jutsu on his clones. As of right now, he had more clones running around with the sole purpose of being nearby so that he could make a quick escape then he cared to think about. The havoc they could be getting into was just too much for him to contemplate. There really had to be a way to extend the distance so that he could use it more readily. The village really didn't need a bunch of Narutos running around unsupervised.

Lost in thought as he made his way across the village, Naruto almost missed the oddly shaped rock following him. A disguise that bad could only belong to one person.

"Come on out Konohamaru," Naruto called absentmindedly over his shoulder as he kept walking. He was sure his little friend would keep following him even though he'd been caught.

"Ah boss, how'd you know it was me," Konohamaru complained as he hopped out of his disguise, tossing it to the side to pick up later.

"Easy, rocks aren't square," Naruto replied as he slowed his steps to allow Konohamaru to catch up. "You know, I'm actually a little disappointed in you, Konohamaru. I expect much more from my minions, especially ones that want to compete with _me_ for the title of Hokage."

"Don't worry boss, I'll get you next time," he replied confidently, obviously ready for the challenge. "Hey boss, do you have any more cool jutsus for me to learn?"

"Well, that depends."

"On what?"

"That depends on how good you've gotten at my super-secret awesome jutsu, Sexy no jutsu," Naruto continued as they reached his favorite clearing.

"I'll show you," Konohamaru replied before forming the necessary hand signs. "Sexy no jutsu!"

In a puff the six year old Konohamaru was gone and in his place was a mildly flawed imitation of his famous jutsu.

"Well, not bad, but not perfect. Sure, you've got the proportions alright," Naruto began as he pointed at various parts of the transformed Konohamaru's barely clothed body. "She's tall and thin like a good imitation of the ultimate pervert's wildest dream, but you've got the face all wrong. We're trying to target the _most_ perverted of all perverted men. You can't do that if your face looks too much like, well _you_." Shaking his head, Naruto signaled for his little friend to drop the jutsu. "Come on let's go back to the bathhouse, you're going to need to do more research," he concluded before he turned on his heels, ready to lead the way.

"Okay boss," Konohamaru spoke as he fell into step beside his idol. "So, is this how you got your jutsu so perfect?" he asked as they reached the fence outside of the female section of the bathhouse. Naruto wasn't worried about his seal going off. Konohamaru wasn't anywhere near heavy enough to activate it.

"Yeah, I once found some old pervert looking in this very crack," he began with a point to the crack in the fence. "That encounter was how I came up with the idea for Sexy no jutsu."

"Really, what happened?"

"Well, he watched for a few minutes before passing out. I figured if it worked on him, then it should work on others. So, I studied the scene and came up with this jutsu."

"Man boss, you're so cool."

"Yeah, I know," Naruto replied before pointing back to the scene. "Now pay attention to the shapes of their faces. You want to replicate that."

"Okay boss, I'm on it."

For a time no one spoke as Naruto sat back against the fence waiting for Konohamaru to take in the scene before him. He didn't really need to see it. After all his jutsu was perfect, but he also didn't want to leave his little friend alone. If for some reason he got caught looking, Naruto wanted to make sure he could get the little guy out of there before he got hurt.

"You know Konohamaru, I think it's about time I introduced you to the rules that have made me the most awesomest ninja you see before you. The master ninja pranking rules," Naruto offered as he turned to look at his friend. "You see, what your disguise earlier today and your Sexy no jutsu are missing is rule number six, details are important. You have to pay close attention so that every little detail is covered. If you can't fool a targets eyes how do you expect to succeed in your pranking endeavors?"

"Wow, that's really cool. Can you teach me more about the rules, boss?"

Naruto smiled brightly, Konohamaru would make a great minion. "From one great ninja to the next, let's start with rule number one…" Naruto began only to be cut off by the sound of unhappy screaming. "Shoot, never mind rule number one, we're going to skip down to master pranking rule number thirteen: don't get caught."

"Someone's peeking!" one of the bathing girls yelled causing Naruto to bolt from his position.

"Come on Konohamaru. We've got to get out of here," Naruto stated as he pulled the young boy to his feet. "Let's go."

"Yeah!" Konohamaru yelled gleefully, completely unaware of the danger. Naruto had seen enough captured perverts to know they didn't want to get apprehended.

* * *

Sakura had arrived early after lunch to find Kakashi-sensei already waiting for them. That was a first, just like yesterday's training. She already felt stronger from learning the tree walking exercise. Now, if only their Sensei didn't insist on reading that trash so openly every day. **'That perv has some nerve! Reading that trash in front of **_**us**_** like we won't do something about it! Well, I'm telling you we won't stand for it! This is completely unacceptable! I swear the next time we see that trash we're going to rip him a new one!' **

"Ah, Sakura-san you're back. Ready for some more team training?"

"Hai Sensei. I'm hoping to be able to do the exercise longer this time."

Kakashi-sensei chuckled. "Why don't you stay back after training today. I have some more exercises that you could benefit from."

'**Yoshi! Now we're talking! Finally, we're getting the recognition that we deserve! Take **_**that**_** you Baka! Now, I'm going to be so much stronger than that Baka Sasuke-kun will**_** have**_** to listen to me!'**

Moving to her preferred area to stretch, Sakura took note of Naruto and Sasuke-kun as they walked into the clearing together a little later. Naruto talking animatedly with Sasuke-kun, Sakura was completely surprised to see them acting so friendly towards one another. Had they eaten lunch together? **'How dare that good for nothing Baka eat lunch with **_**my**_** Sasuke-kun! How dare they eat lunch without **_**me**_**! Well, I'll show them! No one betrays **_**us**_**!'**

Out of nowhere Kakashi-sensei tossed a scroll at each of their heads. Inner Sakura fuming that they were both able to catch it out of long standing reflexes. "Read those later. For now, I want to see how good you all are at the tree climbing chakra control exercise, now that all three of you know the skill."

"Wait, Sakura learned it in one day?" Naruto replied in shock. Sasuke-kun looked just as interested.

'**Damn right I learned it in one day. In only an hour too! Beat that **_**bitches**_**!**'Sakura's inner voice replied in response to their shock. Sakura blushed at Sasuke-kun's interested look. "I'm a quick study," she replied instead. **'Damn straight we are! Get a good look while you can Sasuke-kun because if you don't start to shape up then you're going to be missing **_**all**_** of this!'**

"Well than, let's have some fun!" Naruto replied as he stuck a small leaf to his forehead and walked up the tree. Sakura had noticed he did that fairly often, sometimes with multiple pebbles and leaves added into the mix. By the looks of it, it was a chakra control method similar to the one they'd learned in the Academy, but Naruto hadn't been there that day. Not to mention, no one had said to try it on different parts of your body as well. She wondered briefly if maybe she should try it as well as she too walked up a tree. Sasuke-kun was right beside her, taking his tree up at a light run.

Kakashi-sensei clapped lightly at their performance. "Alright. Now, run up and down your tree ten times, then we'll have some _real _fun with a new teamwork exercise."

"New exercise?" Sakura asked from her position at the top of her tree. She was breathing hard as she took a short break. This was hard enough as it was, she wasn't sure she'd be able to do it five times let alone ten. Now, Kakashi-sensei was talking about new teamwork exercises in the trees? **'Can you believe this pervert!? Who does he think he is?! A slave **_**driver**_**!?'** her inner voice raged.

"I call it the one hundred foot drop." His eye wrinkled into a smile as he continued. "We won't even do it blindfolded yet!"

All three of them sweat dropped at their Sensei's excitement. Well, team training was certain to get more interesting.

* * *

Sweat dripped from her brow as she attempted the exercise once more. The team session had been hellish as they'd fallen off the branches numerous times in their 'trust' exercise. Kakashi-sensei had named it well. As every one of them managed to drop from a hundred feet in the air more than one time. At least Kakashi-sensei had been there to keep them from hurting themselves too badly.

After that exercise, Sensei had dismissed them to go work on their own. Naruto and Sasuke-kun had disappeared with their scrolls, probably to see what it contained in private. As soon as they'd left, Kakashi-sensei had approached her then to give her a scroll as well. The contents of which composed mostly of physical training and genjutsu techniques and exercises.

As physically tired as she'd felt right after training, she'd known it was only mild chakra exhaustion. Which left her only option in her scroll as her physical exercises. Sakura moved through the forms again straining to keep the positions before finally giving up and plopping down beneath her tree. Without Sensei here to motivate her, she felt less inclined to continue. She was tired _and_ hungry. She'd probably done enough for today anyway.

A rustle of leaves captured her attention. 'Sasuke-kun?' But he was taller, and held himself differently. It could be none other than Itachi-san, Sasuke-kun's older brother.

"Good evening, Sakura-san. Is my otouto here?"

"Sorry, Itachi-san. He left a little while ago. Probably training somewhere, since Kakashi-sensei just gave us all new training scrolls."

Itachi-san nodded his understanding. "I see you are training hard as well. Our clan values strong women, both mentally and physically. So, to see you improving yourself lets me sleep easier knowing my otouto is in strong capable hands."

"Does Sasuke-kun like strong women?" Sakura asked hesitantly.

"Only the strongest kunoichi could have my otouto's interest. Train hard Sakura-san, and maybe that could be you."

'**Damn straight that could be me! There's no **_**could**_** about it! That **_**will **_**be me!'** her inner voice yelled. "I could never be stronger than the Koushi-sama," Sakura replied. No matter how much she might wish it, she was a realist. There was just no way she could ever be stronger than Koushi-sama.

"Koushi-sama is heir to her clan. No Uchiha would or could ever become her suitor. Especially not with the current relationship between our two clans. But perhaps you are speaking of a different strength. Koushi-sama trains hard every day. In and out of practice. I think she would make an excellent goal for you to strive for."

'**Fuck yeah, Koushi-sama has nothing on us!'** her inner voice raged against the idea of being weaker than the Koushi-sama. "Thank you Itachi-san." Itachi turned to go. "Ah, Itachi-san one more question."

"Yes, Sakura-san?"

"Does Sasuke-kun like long hair or short hair?"

Itachi turned to go for which Sakura didn't think he would answer. **'Now where does this Baka think he's going? Just because he's Sasuke-kun's older brother does **_**not**_** mean I won't lay the smack down on him! You better turn around this instant and answer my **_**damn**_** question!'** her inner voice nearly bellowed. "Short hair is far more practical. Isn't it?" Then he was gone, disappearing in a swirl of leaves.

Short hair. Sasuke-kun likes short hair. "Take that Ino-pig!" Sakura yelled, allowing her inner voice to take control for a second. Embarrassed by her sudden outburst, Sakura took a moment to glance around the clearing, checking for any wandering eyes attached to anyone that might have heard her. Sighing in relief, Sakura found her new wind. The Koushi-sama, or the Princess of Konoha as Naruto would correct anyone for saying otherwise, was a lofty goal. She'd not be able to get there if she sat on her ass all day. Getting back to her forms, Sakura continued her exercises. She found she wasn't all that tired after all.

* * *

**Omake (****おまけ****)**

Team seven was the last team still waiting for their Sensei. Even Iruka-sensei had already left. Hyuuga-hime's Sensei had even been fifteen minutes _early_. He was only sorry she had to be led by a stuck up Uchiha. Kiba-kun was so lucky. He'd gotten to spend his _whole_ lunchtime getting to know Hyuuga-hime, while Naruto's team had left him in the dust. He'd chosen to eat lunch at Ichiraku's to cheer himself up, but even that hadn't really helped. No matter. He'd just have to be the greatest ninja out there, worthy of Hyuuga-hime's friendship.

It didn't help that Hyuuga-hime's Sensei seemed like the real deal, while Naruto was stuck with a Sensei who couldn't even manage to tell time. Naruto would have pranked him for his tardiness if he'd felt up to it. He just couldn't seem to bring himself out of his funk. Not when Hyuuga-hime was probably worlds away. Several minutes later and the door slide open.

A silver haired one-eyed Jounin stepped in and looked around at them. "My first impression is that… you're all boring."

"Nani?" Sakura replied.

Naruto turned his head in his new Sensei's direction a fire burning in his eyes. "Oh yeah! Well my first impression is that you're late!" How was he supposed to become a seal master if he didn't have a reliable Sensei?

Sensei looked at Naruto before turning to reply to the team. "Meet me on the rooftop." And he was gone in a swirl of leaves.

Two minutes later found Naruto settling himself down next to Sasuke-me and Sakura. "Well, let's begin with introducing yourselves," Kakashi-sensei spoke.

"What do you want to know?" Sakura inquired.

"Tell us about your likes, dislikes, your dreams for the future and things like that."

More than willing to talk about his goals for the future, Naruto jumped up without prompting. "Yoshi! Name's Uzumaki Naruto of the Uzumaki clan. I like ramen, learning about the Uzumaki clan, and hanging out with my friends especially the Princess of Konoha."

Sasuke-me snorted at the Princess of Konoha comment. "I'm pretty sure she's not your friend, dope."

"Not even in your dreams," Sakura added snidely.

"Naruto please continued." Sensei interrupted before Naruto could respond to their comments.

Naruto scoffed at them. "I dislike the three minute wait for ramen to cook and temeera like you guys. My goals for the future are…" Naruto paused for dramatic effect. He'd learned that technique while pranking. It made everything cooler. "To rebuild my clan and become Hokage so that the Princess of Konoha will openly acknowledge our best friendship! Believe it!" Naruto continued as he sat back down. "Oh, I also like to pull pranks," he finished offhandedly.

"Thank you, Naruto for that enthusiastic answer. Next."

"My name is Uchiha Sasuke of the Uchiha clan. I like to train with my Nii-san. I dislike the weak. My goal for the future is to become the Anbu Commander and make my father proud. My hobby is learning new jutsu."

"Alright, now that leaves you." Kakashi-sensei spoke as he looked in Sakura's direction.

"My name is Haruno Sakura, and I don't belong to a clan. Ah, the thing I like is… well, the person I like is..." Sakura looked over in Sasuke-me's direction as if her crush on the temee wasn't common knowledge. "And uhm… my dream for the future…" She looked over again in Sasuke-me's direction. "And uhm? Oh yeah, I dislike Ino-pig!"

"I thought she was your best friend?!" Naruto replied.

"Shows what _you_ know. Now, my hobby is…" Sakura looked over at the temee again ending her turn.

"Great, now that we've gotten to know each other a little bit better…"

"Wait, Sensei. Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Naruto replied.

"Oh, me? Well, my name is Hatake Kakashi. I have no desire to tell you my likes and dislikes. Dreams for the future… Hmm and I have lots of hobbies."

Naruto sweat dropped. "We told you real things! And all you have to say is _that_!"

"All we learned was your name…" Sakura added bewildered.

"Had I known…" Naruto heard Sasuke-me grumble to himself before turning back to their new Sensei. Knowing the temee, he probably would have striven to be just as vague as their Sensei.

* * *

_**KJ's Japanese Corner**_

_(1) The bathhouse versus onsen (hot springs) –_ part 1 about bathing. Traditionally bathhouses in Japan were used similarly to the Romans since there were few baths located in houses. Therefore, bathhouses and bathing in general are a big part of Japanese culture. In addition to bathhouses, there are onsen or hot springs which get much more attention in anime and manga. In Naruto and this au fan fiction, this bathhouse is also an onsen.

It is important to note, that these bathhouse and onsen are more than a place to take a bath (as now-a-days the majority of households and apartments in Konoha have at least a shower). These places are also a popular place to socialize and interact. In fact, many ninja teams and friends would go there to relax and just talk. (See bath water uses post on tumblr for more information about bathing).

_(2) Team Seven and a lack of manners._ So, you may have noticed the casual lack of honorifics when Team Seven talks to each other (i.e. Sakura calling Naruto by his first name when she calls him Naruto at all…). This could have one of two meanings. The first is for very good friends, and the second is just rude.


	9. Interlude II

**AN: **Yo! So here's the next interlude. But what's this... It's posted on a Friday! Yeah that's right mi amigos, you get the extra stuff now and the next Chapter come Monday. So, what would the first born say here... "I'm always right." Now, that I've written that, I don't really see how it has anything to do with the chapter, but I'm sure an arrogant _Thing 1_ would say that, so... As Thing 2, I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far and the little breaks that are the Pranking Sessions. (Side note, fanfiction site doesn't want to recognize the strike through command in html, so this does not look as cool as it does on tumblr. Majorly disappointed...) Let's see, I think that's all that needs to be said. Until next time.

PS. Shh! Don't tell BloodRed13, I posted this... KJ

PSS. (Not sure if that's a thing, but oh well. BloodRed13 will change it eventually...) We still don't own Naruto.

_(Edit: I noticed. - You had only one job KJ. Now I don't know if I can trust you.)_

* * *

Interlude II: (Pranking) Training Session

_Part One: Four Months after getting Scroll from Jiji _

"Super Ninja Notes part 57: Operation Epic Pervert Firework Sign," Naruto began in his recorder as he sat in front of his sealing supplies. The words spoken softly, absentmindedly recording every detail as he flew through his preparations to begin the sealing process. He checked and double checked each and every aspect of his finally completed seal. He was going to be as thorough as possible all things considered. After three months of learning, perfecting and modifying the explosive tag seal there was just no way he was leaving room for any type of error.

This prank was going to be perfect. After all, it had taken those three months since _Operation Honey & Feather_ for him to get this right. That was three months of setbacks. Three months of seals exploding in his face. Just three months of failed explosions in general. But most importantly, that was three months without pulling pranks. Not one _single_ prank.

Now, he'd finally reached that point where he was ready. One hundred percent sure that this big operation would succeed. Now was the time for action. This was _his_ moment and he wasn't about to ruin it because he didn't bother to do the basic stuff like check to make sure his seal was perfect. So here he was, double checking, contemplating a triple check just to be absolutely sure. Because _this_ was it.

Naruto sighed as he finally caved, succumbing to the urge to do a triple check as he thought over the last few months. Three months. Yeah, that was certainly a _long_ time to go between pranks. It was certainly _not_ something he like to think about. Especially given the reason he'd had to wait so long.

It really was silly, because this time the long wait had nothing to do with his own abilities. Well, not really. It wasn't because of his chakra control. Which in and of itself was a complete surprise. After those first few weeks, Naruto was sure chakra control would _always_ be the factor holding him back from his epic greatness. But no, that definitely wasn't the case this time.

Really, at this point Naruto liked to think he was an expert on the basic chakra control technique. He could put as many leaves as he wanted to on any part of his body and keep them all there. Actually, he'd been able to do that for more than two months now. In fact he'd learned the explosive tag seal not even two days after he'd master his chakra control exercise. Despite his previous assumption on the little tags, there really weren't all that hard to create. So that really wasn't the problem.

In all reality, and he really hated to admit it, the _only_ reason he'd waited this long for his next prank was rather simple. For once in his more than ten years, he actually lacked a good _target_. Pranking rule number forty-nine: never start a prank without a clear target in mind. So here he was, at a complete lose for three whole months.

Of course there were plenty of temeera waiting to be pranked. In Naruto's experience, there always seemed to be a never ending supply of such people. But the explosive tag wasn't something to be used without caution. It was a rather dangerous seal and Naruto had a reputation to maintain. Sure, he may have from time to time damaged or even destroyed _some_ property, but he'd never blown up someone's _livelihood_. Heck, he rarely went into a prank with the intent to harm property in the first place. Honestly, that was normally just an accident, the hazards of the job. So, that stuff just couldn't be helped. But that didn't mean he went looking for ways to cause more property damage.

In all honesty, he just wasn't that type of person. So, he'd had the seal learned, but no good prank idea months ago. Hopefully, he wouldn't run into this type of problem again because three months really was too long to go without a good prank. His reputation was on the line here. The village had to remember just who its number one prankster was. He couldn't risk falling into obscurity because of a simple lack of creativity.

Shaking his head, Naruto dictated the last few notes on his seal before packing up. It really was a good thing that his dry spell had ended. And really, he thought this would be one of the best pranks of the year. Heck, he might even get awarded a metal because this prank was basically a service to the village. At least that's the way he saw it.

Of course, Naruto wasn't entirely sure how anyone could see it differently. After all this was a prank on the bathhouse, the women's bathhouse to be more precise. Okay, so it wasn't really a prank _on_ the bathhouse, but come on, it was close enough. That little peek-hole just outside of their bathhouse was basically a part of the setting.

Naruto nodded absentmindedly at his genius. And all it took was a little inspiration from a random encounter a couple of weeks after he'd finally learned the explosive tag seal. On that particular day, Naruto had seen a pervert peeking into the bathhouse, which of course wasn't really a new occurrence. But that didn't change the fact that it was one of his _biggest_ pet peeves. Man, how he hated perverts. There was nothing that bothered him more than a dirty pervert.

He didn't really get it either and that certainly wasn't from a lack of trying because he'd spent plenty of time peeking into that hole when he was perfecting his own jutsu. He just didn't understand _what_ was so interesting about looking at naked women. Not to mention he knew the women didn't like it. Naruto shivered at a memory. They _really_ didn't like it, which meant that it was a bad thing to do. And if it was a bad thing to do then common sense said that you _shouldn't_ do it.

Naruto shrugged at the thought. Maybe those perverted old men just wanted to prank the ladies in the bathhouse. After all, pranking was really the only reason Naruto ever broke the rules. Of course that didn't make a whole lot of sense either. Shaking his head, Naruto sighed. He guessed that he just might never really know what the big deal was.

Either way that was beside the point, because when he'd pasted that giggling man looking right into the women's bathhouse on that fateful day he hadn't thought about the why's and the how's of it. He'd just been upset. Actually, he'd been fully prepared to tell him off until he remember one crucial fact. Those women in the bathhouse would certainly take no prisoners. Even if he'd had good intentions, they'd wring him up with the real pervert too. He just couldn't win here.

He'd felt rather helpless in that moment. Stuck in the same situation where if he alerted the women to the pervert's presence, he'd get punished right alongside him, yet if he did nothing, then that good for nothing pervert would get away with his peeking. And then like magic, it hit him. Like a stroke of brilliance, an idea struck. All he needed was a way to let the ladies of Konoha know about the peeper, while not being anywhere near the bathhouse when they found out about him. And what better way than with a really big sign? He didn't have to hurt them, the women of Konoha would do that themselves. And what better way to get someone's attention than a loud noise, a loud noise like an explosion!

So, he had a new target to test out the explosive tag. Of course like everything else, the tag couldn't just do what he wanted it to do from the start. No, that would have just been too easy. Okay, so maybe he wanted it to do a lot more than just blow up. He wanted more than just some loud noise. He wanted to point out the perpetrator. He wanted it to be _loud_. He wanted it to be _colorful_. But more importantly, he wanted it to be perfectly clear without a shadow of a doubt _who_ the pervert _was_. All of which couldn't really be done with a simple explosive tag. But he had a solution for that too.

Fireworks! After all, the explosive tag used gun powder, and Naruto knew fireworks also used gun powder. So, it should have been simple enough to modify the explosive tag seal into a fireworks seal. Unfortunately, he might have underestimated the difficulties, and amount of math needed, in firework creation. It had taken him a month and a half of learning fractions and basic algebra just to get the correct proportions. He'd spent the hours that his Sensei had droned on and on about something or another learning that type of math. Then every spare minute he could get outside of the classroom learning the art of fireworks by shadowing firework experts.

Naruto had quickly discovered that the Uchiha were the masters at firework creation. Unfortunately, the Uchiha were still a little sore about a prank he'd done _ages_ ago. So, he'd had to use henge to learn from them. Now after that experience, he could honestly say that his henge was _fantastic_. He'd been able to soak up everything they had to teach him about fireworks outside of their specialized jutsu without them even knowing it was him! Sure those Uchiha had been civilians, but an Uchiha was an Uchiha. So that had to mean _something_!

So, with the basics of firework creation down, plus all the fundamental math he thought he'd need for this particular seal modification, Naruto had spent the next several weeks modifying the simple explosive tag seal to produce a vivid display of fireworks. His time shadowing the Uchiha had really paid off too as it was probably the sole reason the coloring hadn't been a challenge. At this point, Naruto liked to think he was a master at mixing the gun powder into any color he wanted, orange being his favorite. He was actually pretty sure he was on par with the official fireworks guys. In this case, the student had _definitely_ surpassed the master.

Really, the only truly difficult task he'd had was getting the fireworks to point just the way he wanted it. Tricky, but he'd finally gotten it to work just two days ago. So now was the big test, the reason why he had triple checked his own perfect seal work.

With his sealing materials put away, Naruto returned to the hopefully perfect seal resting on the floor of his apartment moving his hands into position. "Kai." The familiar black ink moved around the gun powder sealing it away. A faint glow of orange signaling the completion of the seal. "Success! _Operation Epic Pervert Firework Sign_ is a go."

Naruto turned his focus to the other seal he'd been working on in conjunction with the fireworks seal, the trigger seal. He'd been working on this for three months straight and it _still_ wasn't perfect. Ever since his first prank using a seal, Naruto had wanted a way to activate the seal or trap without having to be there. Well, he wasn't anywhere near close to activating a complete complicated trap, but a simple seal, that he could do.

Naruto grinned at his own ingenuity. Trial and error had produced what he had here. Now, it technically only worked with a person over 45kg and _only_ if a person stood on it for more than five minutes. Unfortunately, Naruto just couldn't get the seal to activate without that long time gap, but he wasn't too worried. After all, a true pervert would definitely be bigger than 45kg and stay _way_ longer than five minutes. And hey, there was nothing in the books that said he couldn't still work on the seal. It wasn't technically a different prank if he managed to update and replace it. Surely that wouldn't break any of Jiji's rules.

Finishing the final touches on the trigger seal, Naruto carefully gathers them both, stuffing them into his jacket before leaving his apartment. There was certainly no time like the present to set these bad boys up. Fortunately, the bathhouse was just off center in the middle of the village, a virtual hub of activity. Which was a very good thing because Naruto didn't even have to lie about where he was going when the Hyuuga Police stop him. Since apparently they could take him in for a leisurely stroll, they certainly _couldn't_ take him in for _hygiene_.

Grinning at how easy it all was, Naruto made his way to the rear of the bathhouse, easily finding the peep hole in question. In next to no time, his prank was set-up, ready and waiting for his first victim. Smart enough not to get too close to the pranked area, Naruto shifted into familiar shadows ready to wait however long it would take for his first victim to show.

So he sat. And waited. And waited. _And_ waited. 'Haaa! I can't do this anymore,' Naruto thought with a sigh, slumping over in his hiding place. 'How long has it been already, four, _five_ hours!?' he questioned, hysteria running through his veins. Glancing down at the old watch he'd managed to find in his favorite alleyway, perfectly fine except for a few scratches, some scraps and a broken strap that he'd fixed fairly easily with a bit of tap, Naruto noted the time. 'Okay, so it's only been thirty minutes, but it _feels_ like forever,' he corrected, shifting restlessly in his spot. When was a pervert going to come?

_Grraahh_.

Naruto frowned at the sound. Was that his stomach? Scratching the side of his head, Naruto sighed in defeat. 'Okay, that's it. I can't wait here one more minute,' he thought before getting up. If all went well, then he really didn't have to be here in the first place. "Ramen Ichiraku here I come," Naruto announced aloud with a hop. Either way, this was a job well done.

The trip to the best ramen bar in the world, Naruto was pretty sure that was a fact, was quick and in no time Naruto was sitting in front a hot bowl of ramen. Breathing in, Naruto savored the smell. Ever since he'd started learning how to seal, he'd had less and less money left over for ramen. In fact, the last time he'd been able to splurge had been over two weeks ago. That was really too long to go without the world's greatest food. So, he was going to make this last.

Contrary to his normal ramen eating pace, Naruto slowed his pace and took his time. Savoring the wonderful flavors, slurping the noodles and downing the broth like the other patrons that Naruto had always teased for being too slow. Finished with his first bowl, Naruto didn't hesitate to order another. If he was going to splurge then he was going to do it right. After all, everyone knew you didn't just have _one_ bowl of ramen.

Pulling his second bowl of ramen closer to him, Naruto thanked every kami he knew for the heavenly smell.

_Bang!_

Naruto stopped mid-bite at the loud sound.

_Bang, bang, bang! _

Shaken from his stupor, Naruto finally remembered his prank. Hastily, he turned around on his stool, looking up into the sky to gaze at his handy work. Grinning, Naruto nearly laughed at the sight before him. Even from this distance he could see the sign just fine. The orange, yellows, and reds, mostly oranges, burning the Konoha sky, a flaming finger pointing in what Naruto knew would be the direction of the pervert, the words peeping pervert hovering above, and he couldn't have been more proud.

For a good thirty seconds, the image stayed in the sky the booming blasts gone only to be replaced by piercing screams. Naruto nodded at his work. He'd done a dang good job. Turning back to his bowl of ramen, Naruto made a mental note to replace that seal. It really was too good of a prank to let it go to waste.

Happily eating, Naruto frowned as a shadow loomed over him. "Uzumaki-san, if you'll come with us," Hyuuga-san requested in that way that wasn't really a question but almost sounded like one. One hand already gripping his shoulder, Naruto searched his brain for a good excuse.

"Hold up Hyuuga-san, Naruto-kun hasn't done anything wrong this time," the old ramen owner announced, coming to his defense. "Yeah, I know Hyuuga-san, it _is_ normally Naruto-kun, but he's been here at this shop in that spot for almost an hour. Sorry Hyuuga-san, but there is just no way it could have been Naruto-kun this time." With a sigh, Naruto sunk back into his seat.

'Thank kami-sama for allies and alibis,' he thought as he went back to eating.

"Very well, we apologize for the inconvenience," Hyuuga-san replied, letting go of Naruto's shoulder as he stepped back.

"It's really no problem. You have a good day, and if you two bring some friends the next time you visit my shop I'll let you have a couple of bowls on the house," the old man announced grinning widely at the two Policemen still standing behind him.

"Thank you, Ichiraku-san. You are too kind," he replied with a short bow before turning on his heels to leave.

"Hey old man! Thanks for the save," Naruto announced with a grin, finishing the rest of his bowl in one gulp.

"No problem Naruto-kun," he replied with a nod. "You going to order one more?"

"You know what, I will," Naruto grinned. After all this, he was definitely getting one more bowl. He deserved it.


	10. The Blind Hyuuga

**AN:** Hello all, we hope you're still enjoying the story thus far. As you will see we've finally moved to a new arc. Yay. Strangely enough there's only one more arc after this one despite the numerous number of chapters still left in book one. Anyway, as always, for the full experience visit our tumblr page (HyuugaTheEldestSon at tumblr), a link can be found on my author's page. Anyway, on with the show.

**PS** - We own nothing, not Naruto, not any of the small Bleach references or anything else that kind of looks like it came from the original anime or manga. Sigh, sad day.

**PPS** - Also below is the dictionary for this chapter. As you can see, it's mostly the words from the actual anime. Also, as a note, there is an extended author's note after KJ's culture corner so be aware.

_Dictionary_

Shougi – Japanese Chess

Imouto – little sister

Doujutsu – eye techniques (literal translation)

Tenketsu – chakra/pressure points

Hitai-ate – forehead protector

Kikaichuu – parasitic destruction insects

Kidaichuu – parasitic giant insects

* * *

_**Arc – C Ranks**_

_Chapter Seven – The Blind Hyuuga_

The cool fall air blew against the long tendrils of the hair framing her face as she walked across the village, one steady step at a time. It hadn't taken her long to realize that traveling in hast often lead to missteps and the occasional fall, though she'd been lucky enough to have only experienced those types of incidents in the presence of her teammates. As such she needed to take in every minute detail that she could. As it was, moving hastily typically resulted in her missing the light pattern of the wind. Patterns that when not missed signaled the presence of some inanimate object in her path.

The sun, just peaking over the horizon, warmed her face as she traversed the now familiar route to her team training grounds. Its growing heat periodically disappearing, a clear indication that she'd left the open village air to enter the numerous forests surrounding it. That too she'd had to learn to account for as it provided a depth of information that could be missed by the feel and sound of the wind tracing paths through the thick forest.

Birds fluttered in the wind, whistling their bright, cheery songs as they welcomed the morning, the soft volume to their songs indicating their position high amongst the trees. By now she could give a detailed list of their number and location based solely on the volume of both their original song and the numerous echoes that accompanied them as the sound bounced among the trees. It was a skill that had come in handy more than once during D ranked missions and team training exercises.

By all accounts, the day was bright and alive, a colorful sight that was wasted on her as she walked forward, sightless. The weight of the thick black cloth wrapped tightly across her eyes additionally covered by the white silk fabric of her hitai-ate had originally been somewhat startling for Hinata, however, after seven weeks of living in total darkness, she'd easily grown accustomed to it.

And the darkness was complete in every way. Even her Byakugan, the once powerful doujutsu rendered almost useless by the specially designed black cloth, could not alleviate the darkness. It could not bring back her once perfect sight. Not with the thick material so effectively limiting her field of vision. However, this too, she'd grown accustom too.

The light footsteps of Mizuiro-san following in the traditional position one step to the right and one step behind her reminded her of everything else she'd had to grow accustom to over the weeks. After the first week of personal and team assessments, Itachi-sensei had assigned her a rather unorthodox training regimen. She was to train while blindfolded.

While not a completely foreign concept, no Hyuuga had willingly blindfolded themselves since the warring states era. Nevertheless, Itachi-sensei had made such an appealing argument that Hinata had been willing to risk Otou-sama's disapproval. After all, she had been fully aware of her clan's history, including the man credited with being the clan's greatest leader, the honorable Hanza-dono. His strength had been legendary, leading him to a close friendship with the first Hokage as well as the founding of Konoha. And as tradition had dictated back then, he had spent the majority of his early life blindfolded.

Of course that had not been out of choice but necessity. It had been a time where the possession of the Byakugan made you a target. The blindfold had been used to protect him from the possible theft of his doujutsu. However, that tradition had been immediately tossed aside with the creation of the seal that all but a few members of the clan wear proudly atop their foreheads.

To many in her clan, the very act of wearing a blindfold sent a message to the outside world that the Hyuuga were reverting back. Back to a time when their fear for their children's safety forced them to hide their children's eyes away. A time where children were blinded before they even learned to walk. It was not a time the clan wanted to remember, a time of war, of blood and of fear. However, Hinata could not fault Itachi-sensei's logic as no one since the time of the warring states era had even begun to reach the skill level of the honorable Hanza-dono.

It was this fact alone that had convinced her. She would train as the Hyuuga once had, a feat that was perhaps made more difficult because, unlike her kin of the past, she would have to relearn every skill she knew. Despite that particular hurdle, she moved forward with her new training plan because there were no lengths that she would not travel to improve her skills. In the end, it would be a chance to make Otou-sama proud even though he greatly disapproved of the method. However, for the first time, she was more than willing to face his displeasure in order to reach a greater level in skill. After all, she took her training seriously.

In fact, she took her training so seriously that she'd taken Itachi-sensei's suggestion to wear her blindfold as often as possible as a directive to never take it off. She'd even gone so far as to have a special black cloth designed to hamper her own Byakugan. To force herself to not use her Byakugan as crutch. To not rely on it so heavily that she negated the very reasons for the training method. It was a rather drastic measure, however, she felt it was entirely necessary. And of course it did not hurt that this added restraint allowed her to hone her control over her doujutsu.

She'd gone even farther in the pursuit of living in total darkness by ordering her immediate area as well as the surrounding area to be shrouded in complete darkness while she took care of her personal hygiene. Thus, allowing her the ability to navigate her nightly routine in the dark when she could not circumvent taking off her blindfold.

That order, a long standing command to keep the area in darkness, had been the only order she'd ever felt the need to give. Which was strange considering her position as Yotsugi. She was entitled to give orders, however, until now, she hadn't found a need to give one. She still wasn't sure if she should be bothered by that revelation or not. Regardless, she tried to not let it bother her.

It wasn't as if she hadn't had to give up some of her own personal freedom at least for a short time. And it was that surrender of some of her freedoms that found Mizuiro-san following close behind her. Temporarily sightless, her retainers had regained their original purpose for existing. In fact, they were perhaps the most excited for her new training regimen in the entirety of the Hyuuga Compound.

She had spent a week with the soft, subtle presence of one of her retainers as they walked directly to her left, a light hand guiding her to and from her team training area. That light hand had eventually graduated to simply his or her presence walking next to her as she'd gotten used to listening to her other senses. In turn, as she attained greater and greater skill at recognizing her surroundings, her retainers dropped back, eventually returning to their traditional position.

In truth, she no longer needed her retainer escort at all. However, there was little to no way she would be able to convince Tatsuki-san of that fact. She was already upset that she couldn't be the one to personally escort Hinata every single day. Her desire to protect and secure Hinata's safety would not allow her to let Hinata leave the Hyuuga Compound without an escort. After all, she had barely consented to allowing her escort to leave while she was in the presence of her team. At this point, Hinata wasn't entirely sure that Tatsuki-san would let her go without an escort even if she became a Chuunin, at least not as long as she was sightless.

With an internal sigh at Tatsuki-san's over protectiveness, Hinata finally made it to her team training grounds. Hinata took in a deep breath as she gaged the time. While slightly more difficult blindfolded, she had no trouble discerning it. 0558. She was two minutes earlier than her own personal schedule required her to be.

Taking a step forward, Hinata reached the center of the clearing and immediately began her morning routine with stretching. She had learned early on in her new training that it was far easier to leave the Compound earlier and do her morning exercises at her team training grounds then to train at the Compound and have to face the path through the village during peak morning activity. After all, it was far easier to navigate through the sparse crowd of the pre-dawn markets then the hustle and bustle of the early morning masses.

So, she would spend nearly half an hour stretching her body, improving her flexibility to enhance her agility, here at her team training grounds. She paid no mind to Mizuiro-san's continued presence. He would not leave her side until one of her teammates made it to the clearing. He was no more willing to face Tatsuki-san's wraith than any other sane Hyuuga.

Since their official meet-up time was scheduled for 0900, Hinata typically had anywhere between an hour to two hours of undisturbed morning training. While she wasn't completely sure if it was intentional, Itachi-sensei usually made it a point to arrive around 0730 to spend time discussing various topics several times a week. Often he would quiz her on different scenarios while she continued to work on her own personal training.

At least once a week he arrived at 0700 to assess her growing skills as well as to suggest that week's goals. Originally, it had been just simple tests. Like her ability to traverse the tree tops or some other such skill. However, within the last few weeks, it had been a variation of a spar, each variation testing some different skill set. Based on the content of their regular team training, she assumed that he took that early morning time to address her directly so that he could focus more on her other two teammates during the regularly scheduled training time.

By now they'd fallen into a pattern where most days Shino-san arrived at about 0830 at which point Itachi-sensei would direct his intellectual queries to the both of them. It allowed them to test their differing thinking patterns against each other to compare how they would handle each situation. Typically, these queries resulted in Hinata questioning Shino-san's train of thought in order to enhance his own logical progression while improving their trust in one another, altogether improving their already excellent teamwork.

Kiba-san, ever the late riser, typically made it to the training grounds just in time at which point Itachi-sensei would give them a brief overview of the day's goals. This was probably a good set-up considering she was fairly certain Kiba-san would find Itachi-sensei's intellectual queries to be rather boring. Over the weeks, she had realized that Kiba-san was very much a man of action. While he always went into a situation with a plan, he liked to keep it as simple as possible. Strangely enough, his differing strategic approach only enhanced their team coherence by forcing both Shino-san and herself to think more quickly to accommodate his shorter attention span.

Overall, their morning routine worked. She was able to complete her own morning personal training. Itachi-sensei was able to address their individual needs and team needs directly while utilizing his time appropriately. And their overall teamwork and understanding improved. Today would likely be no different.

Like clockwork, at 0730 exactly a familiar presence drew her attention by entering the very edge of the range for her senses. A quick second of analysis revealed it to be Itachi-sensei. However, due to Mizuiro-san's continued silence, she deduced that Itachi-sensei had yet to enter visual range. Unbothered, she continued to practice her series of modified katas, a series she'd developed to account for her inability to aim for individual tenketsu points. This was a problem that could not easily be rectified because even with the activation of her doujutsu, the limitation she'd placed on her Byakugan would not allow for precision sight.

However, unlike the majority of her clan, she'd taken the extra step in studying the 361 tenketsu points by learning their approximate location on the human body. Due to her Otou-sama's relentless training and her own personal drive, she could effectively render opponents incapable of fighting with a few key strikes without the need to activate her doujutsu. However, now that she was training sightless, she had needed to develop a way to find new reference points for her strikes. She'd quickly found she'd needed a slightly different technique for releasing chakra.

The result had been a series of katas that she was still perfecting that released far more chakra by using palm strikes then the simple act of just activating her doujutsu and using the traditional gentle fist style ever could. Although it increased her overall chakra stores, the technique was exhausting. At the start of her training, she could barely use it continuously for more than ten minutes. However, with Itachi-sensei's help, she was slowly lowering the amount of chakra needed while maintaining the katas current effectiveness. While she couldn't use the technique indefinitely, she could certainly last an hour or so in the battlefield.

Continuing her practice, Hinata was momentarily brought from her thoughts by the sound of Itachi-sensei's voice. "Your mission parameters are as follows: obtain confidential A-class secrets from the Land of Snow and return the information to Konoha. Due to the close relationship between the Land of Snow and the Land of Fire as well as the secrecy of the mission, if you are caught you will be labeled a missing-nin and killed on sight," Itachi-sensei began without preamble, startling Mizuiro-san who had not sensed his quiet presence high among the trees.

"Solo or team, Itachi-sensei?" Hinata asked as she nodded briefly in Mizuiro-san's direction, a clear sign of dismissal.

"Team, consisting of your current teammates, however, I have been called away on special assignment also in the Land of Snow. While I could travel with you, I will be unable to assist in your mission. How will you proceed?" Itachi-sensei questioned as Hinata continued to run through her katas.

Thinking quickly over the situation, Hinata settled on a course of action. "Firstly, we shall not…" she began as she lost herself in the challenging task of the scenario. She greatly enjoyed, the challenge of coming up with quick solutions to missions especially when there was an added factor of keeping her teammates safe.

Mission scenarios were like an elaborate shougi match to her. The more pieces on the board, the more interesting the game became. Additionally, Itachi-sensei liked to base his scenarios on what he wanted to cover that day. For fun, Hinata liked to test herself by attempting to guess what they would be focusing on each day. And based on the scenario Itachi-sensei had given her, today would be an interesting day.

* * *

Itachi watched as his team finished their last cool down stretch for the morning. After eight weeks of being an official team, he was fairly happy with how far they had progressed. Their teamwork was nearly flawless, far better than he'd ever thought possible. They worked seamlessly together in all aspects of their training. From the way they handled missions, both scenarios as well as the basic D ranks, to the way that they sparred together, constantly adapting to each other's fighting styles.

He actually thought it was quite impressive. As the weeks flew by, they managed to learn both the positive and the negative aspects of each of their fighting styles in order to modify their own styles. Of course, he'd seen and heard about this occurring on other teams, but he liked to think his students were above the rest. Not only did they modify their fighting styles, but they never stopped.

Early on when Hinata-sama had finally figured out how to track her teammates in a spar, both Shino-kun and Kiba-kun had adjusted for the flaw in their style that had allowed her to track them. Learning to move more quietly then most Chuunin were capable of and making it that much harder for Hinata-sama to detect them. Then not to be out done, Hinata-sama had just improved her own tracking ability, finding other ways and different flaws to exploit only for them to further account for these new flaws. And the most amazing thing about it was that the process never stopped.

By pushing each other to do better, and be better, his team had reached a point he'd originally thought would take months to reach. Far exceeding his expectations, he thought that they were more than ready to take on something harder. So, while he'd originally planned to take this next step a month from now, he knew his team didn't need the extra time. It was finally time, time for Team Eight to take their first C rank mission.

Taking note that his team had completed their cool down, Itachi turned on his heels, confident that like every other day his team would follow.

"So, I was thinking Ramen Ichiraku for lunch," Kiba-kun announced as Itachi's students fell in behind him. "We haven't been there in a while and I'm not really in the mood for our regular place."

Out of the corner of his eyes, he watched the regular interaction between his team. Shino-kun walking to the right of Hinata-sama, his hands firmly in the pockets of his pants, nodding gently as Kiba-kun spoke. "Yeah, I know. It's not very upscale, but the food is good and the old man behind the bar is really nice. It really is no wonder Naruto likes it there so much," Kiba-kun continued animatedly, his hands waving in the air while Akamaru-kun barked in agreement.

Again, the only reaction to Kiba-kun's statement was a slight nod from his tallest student, but after eight weeks of being a team, this was no surprise. To Itachi's satisfaction, Kiba-kun could keep up their one-sided conversations for as long as he needed to and this would be no exception. "You know, we should really branch out more. I feel like we always eat the same thing for lunch," Kiba-kun complained as he turned to the right to address his teammates directly, Akamaru's colorful barking accompanying his statement as the puppy wiggled in his shirt. "Maybe tomorrow we can hit up that new place in the Akimichi district. With the way they eat food, it's bound to be pretty good," he continued as he turned back to face the front.

Listening to their conversation, Itachi couldn't be prouder. He'd only suggested that they spend some time together outside of practice and that had developed into their almost daily team lunch dates. Considering how much Kakashi-senpai complained about his own team, Itachi could only hum with pride. Not only did they willingly spend time together on team practice days, but also on the only day they had free. They were really trying to get to know each other, and considering how well they worked together, Itachi had to admit that their efforts were fruitful.

"That reminds me, Hana finally apologized for not having any food in the house the other day," Kiba-kun continued, unknowingly causing Itachi's face to redden with the mention of his sister's name. He really couldn't help it. He wasn't a prude, but the occasions that she managed to lure him to her bed were the most intense encounters he'd ever had.

Though he really should stop. Not only was it highly inappropriate for him to be sleeping with his student's sister, but if his father found out he would probably implode with anger. After all, as the Uchiha heir, he was only supposed to be seeing marriageable women. That classification most certainly did _not_ include Inuzukas of any kind, especially not the heir of the clan. However, that fact didn't seem to dilute the power she seemed to have over him. All things considering, he wasn't too proud to admit that the frequency of their interactions was actually increasing.

"Kaa-san's been out on another mission for a while now, so it's just the two of us and you know how Hana is about remembering to feed me. One of these days, Hana's going to forget to feed me and I'll have to turn to a life of crime. Or mooch off of Naruto. He's pretty good about keeping his apartment stocked," Kiba-kun finished with a dismissive shrug. Itachi just hoped that he wasn't the reason Hana-chan managed to forget to buy more groceries. That would not only make him an irresponsible heir, but also an irresponsible Sensei.

"So I'm hoping for another dog walking mission or maybe that devil cat is out on the loose again. Man, I still don't know how you manage to catch that thing so fast, Hinata-sama," Kiba-kun continued, easily changing subject as they turned the corner. Itachi watched as Shino-kun and Kiba-kun subconsciously moved closer to Hinata-sama as they entered the busier part of the village. It was a habit formed in the earlier days when Hinata-sama was just getting use to her new training. While she no longer needed their active protection, it was refreshing to see how close they'd become. Not only did they want to protect each other, but Hinata-sama seemed to allow it.

"Perhaps the more impressive feat is that Hinata-sama manages to accomplish the task without receiving a scratch. Why you ask? Because Tora is a very veracious animal. As such she does not like to be held. Because she doesn't like to be held, she typically attacks anyone that tries. As she is a cat, her normal mode of attack is her claws and her teeth. Thus, it is astonishing that Hinata-sama can capture Tora without claw or bite marks."

"Yeah, I couldn't have said it better myself. What's your secret, Hinata-sama?" Kiba-kun asked as they continued on their path to the Hokage Tower. Itachi was actually rather curious as well. While he had a theory, he wasn't quite sure if he was correct.

"I simply render her immobile by closing a few key tenketsu." Itachi almost smiled at Hinata-sama's response. So he had been correct on that point.

"I knew it! You used that gentle fist crap on that blasted cat. Way to go Hinata-sama!" Kiba-kun was joined by his ninken as he cheered. While Uchihas weren't really dog people, he was slowly growing to like the creatures. He guessed prolonged exposure had that effect on people.

"I must concur. Why? Because you managed to find a way to immobilize the target without causing it any lasting or noticeable damage. Thus, you make the job easier without violating any of our mission parameters. Very impressive Hinata-sama."

"You think that's impressive. Shino watch this. Hinata-sama, how many fingers am I holding up?" Kiba-kun teased as he held two fingers up. Itachi shook his head at his team's antics. They were clearly comfortable with each other if Kiba-kun was asking Hinata-sama, the Koushi, such childish questions.

"Kiba-san, this is perhaps mildly inappropriate," Hinata-sama chastised in her normal tone. Given the circumstances, she was actually more amused than offended.

"Oh, come on. Shino's never seen you do this one," Kiba-kun begged, and Itachi could hear Akamaru-kun whimper right alongside him.

"I am loathed to remind you that I am not a trick pony."

"Of course you're not. I'm not an idiot, but it is important that all our teammates know the extent to each of our abilities. It's only logical," Kiba-kun reasoned. Clearly, he knew just how to persuade his teammates.

"I do believe Kiba-kun makes a valid point. Why you ask? Because it is imperative that we know the limits of each other's abilities. Why is that? Because if we are ever in such a situation we will be better able to account for all possible variables and outcomes. Thus, you should answer Kiba-kun's rather childish question."

"Yeah, so, how many fingers?" Kiba-kun asked again. He hadn't bothered to lower his hand obviously confident that he'd wrangle the answer out of his teammate.

"Two."

"Which two exactly?" Kiba-kun prompted as they entered the Hokage Tower, immediately taking the stairs to the left of the entrance.

"Your index as well as your pinky finger. I do believe you once described it as the 'fist of rock'."

"Yatta! That's fucking awesome. You never cease to amaze me, Hinata-sama," Kiba-kun exclaimed as he jumped up in excitement, nearly falling down the stairs in the process.

"Again I must concur. That was indeed an impressive feat. Why? Because your vision is currently obstructed. As such you could not have possibly seen how many fingers Kiba-kun was holding up and thus you deduced the answer from factors other than your visual senses. A feat that once again displays your rather impressive skill set, Hinata-sama."

"Yeah, that was awesome too, but I was _talking_ about the fact that Hinata-sama remembered the name for this hand sign. I think I mentioned it like once offhandedly and you remembered. Clearly, you deemed it important enough to remember which can only mean that my stellar personality is rubbing off on you guys," he stated as they rounded the corner, almost to their final destination. "Oi, Sensei, what do you think? Am I a stellar influence on these guys or what?"

"Kiba-kun, you all positively influence each other in many ways," Itachi answered vaguely. He really didn't want any of his students getting over confident. They were good, but there was always room to grow.

"Okay, I'm going to take that as a yes."

"Indeed," Itachi responded before opening the Hokage's office door. "Good morning Hokage-sama, Genkuryu-san," Itachi greeted the men sitting behind the desk, giving the Hokage a short bow in the process.

"Ah, Team Eight you've arrived. I have the perfect mission for you. Tora has gone missing again and your team has the fastest track record for catching her," the Hokage began, but before Kiba-kun could accept the mission, Itachi interrupted him. Another D rank mission was not what they were here for.

"Thank you Hokage-sama, however, Team Eight is ready for our first C rank mission," Itachi stated calmly, not at all worried about his team bursting out in inappropriate responses, at least not in front of the Hokage. They had more discipline than that.

"Is that so?"

"Hai, Hokage-sama," Itachi replied with a nod, taking note of the excitement about to burst from Kiba-kun.

"Okay then, I've got the perfect mission for you," Hokage-sama replied before rummaging through another pile of mission statements. "You are to deliver a missive to the Fire Daimyo. The scroll will be given to you tomorrow 0900 at the west gates," he continued before handing the mission details to Itachi.

"Thank you Hokage-sama," Itachi replied with another short bow before turning on his heels and leaving.

"Yatta!" Kiba-kun exclaimed the moment his feet landed on the first step of the stairway heading out of the building. "Now _this_ is fucking awesome. Sensei, you're the best."

* * *

The sound of the Compound gates sliding closed behind her barely registered as Hinata took the familiar path to the main house building. The floral scents of the tastefully decorated gardens lining the path went completely ignored, the pungent odors a background aroma as Hinata focused on the task ahead. Her team had just received a C rank mission, their first. She would need to prepare.

The first task on her list was to take care of Tatsuki-san. By now word would have reached her head retainer that Hinata had returned to the Compound early, but more importantly without an escort. Knowing her retainer, Tatsuki-san would be beside herself with worry, though unnecessary as Hinata was more than capable of making the trip unaided. A fact strengthened by Itachi-sensei's belief that they were ready for a C rank.

Normally, Hinata would not have knowingly caused anyone's distress, especially not her already frazzled head retainer, but Hinata could not pass up an opportunity to ease Tatsuki-san into the idea of her going away on a C rank. So, after receiving their mission along with several other short instructions, and after indulging in an early lunch with her teammates, Hinata had declined both Shino-san and Kiba-san's offer of an escort back to the Compound.

Crossing the threshold of the main house, the doors already open and waiting for her to enter, Hinata traced the familiar path to her room. She would need to start packing now. If she waited too long, then her retainers would insist on doing it for her. She could only imagine the unnecessary items they'd include. Internally shaking her head at the idea, Hinata quickened her pace. On second thought, Tatsuki-san was more than capable of finding her.

Moving quickly within the familiar confines of her room, Hinata was nearly done packing when Tatsuki-san found her. The light knock on her door was followed quickly by the sound of it sliding open. Tatsuki-san was the only one in the Compound that was allowed to do such an action, even Otou-sama had stopped entering her quarters without permission.

"Yotsugi-dono, a pleasure to see you returned so early," Tatsuki-san greeted with a slight bow. Though Hinata was sure she'd moved with the utmost hast within the Compound to get here so quickly, ever composed, her retainer did not allow the strain of the journey to show. "Had I been made aware of your altered schedule, Mizuiro-san would have been made available for your services," she added.

Even without the use of her eyes, Hinata knew what look accompanied that tone. Sharp, narrowed eyes were likely trained on her small form, clearly intending to chastise Hinata for her behavior. Hinata took solstice in the fact that she _could_ ignore the meaning behind those words. Truthfully, Hinata did not feel sorry. It was definitely time for Tatsuki-san to ease up on her over protectiveness.

"Unfortunately, this deviation from the regular schedule could not have been foreseen," Hinata replied evenly as she packed her last item, closing the bag tightly before turning to face her head retainer. "We just received our first C rank mission," she continued, cutting off any further chastisement from her retainer.

"I see," Tatsuki-san replied coolly. Hinata suppressed the frown threatening to cover her face as she processed the short reply. She could not be sure if Tatsuki-san was proud or upset. "This is of course to be expected, Yotsugi-dono. You are the pride of the clan and as such it is only natural that you would bring such honor to the clan by receiving a C ranked mission so early in your ninja career," her retainer continued stiffly. Now Hinata was sure she was hearing the pre-prepared speech that Tatsuki-san had likely practiced for hours just encase this ever happened.

Hinata resisted the urge to approach her retainer in order to offer a comforting hand. There were limits to the type of comfort she could offer and that would be crossing a line. So, instead she simply allowed Tatsuki-san to talk.

"Now, I know this opportunity you've been awarded may seem to be occurring too quickly, but I can assure you Yotsugi-dono, you are ready. You have nearly mastered this unique training that Itachi-san has assigned to you. A feat that only highlights your innate skills and like always, greatly honors the clan. This C rank mission is simply a stepping stone in the path that you are on to greatness. Very soon you will bring even greater honors to the clan when you participate in the Chuunin Exams." Here Tatsuki-san paused, very likely looking about the room as she composed herself.

"Ah, I see you have begun packing," she continued as she moved over to the neatly packed bag. "As your head retainer, it is my duty to ensure that you are adequately prepared for your mission. This shall only take a moment," Tatsuki-san finished as Hinata listened to her re-open her already packed bag. Internally sighing, Hinata could already hear her retainer placing completely unnecessary items in her pack. Despite the effort she'd put into making it to her quarters quickly enough to pack her own bag in an attempt to avoid this very occurrence, Hinata didn't have the heart to stop her.

Tatsuki-san was taking this a lot harder than Hinata had anticipated.

* * *

Hiashi pushed the newest stack of General Council notes to the side as he lightly rolled his shoulders. Kami-sama how he hated paperwork. Thankfully, he had less than six years before Hinata-chan could take over. He could wait another six years.

A light knock on his office door pulled his eyes from the rather boring domestic export report from the General Council, however, at the sight of the door sliding open almost immediately after, Hiashi almost sighed. That could only be Genshirou-san.

"Hiashi-dono, your afternoon tea," his head retainer announced before pouring the steaming beverage. Hiashi sat back and waited. Though he was grateful for the reprieve, he was more than aware of the fact that Genshirou-san would be here serving him tea whether he wanted it or not. It was just his way, his stringent belief that six cups of green tea a day would maintain his health and energy. Hiashi would simply have to endure it to allow his head retainer peace of mind. It really was a small price to pay to the man that had taken care of him, and his younger brother to a lesser extent, since birth.

"Genshirou-san, join me," Hiashi ordered lightly with a quick gesture to the cushion across from him. While he'd given it in the form of a command, Hiashi was more than aware that if Genshirou-san truly had some more pressing business, he would not be afraid to make that known. They had known each other for too long for a misunderstanding of that magnitude to occur.

"As you wish, Hiashi-dono," his retainer replied before pouring a second cup. Genshirou-san always came prepared on the off chance that Hiashi had guests or if he made a request similar to this one.

"How is Tatsuki-san's training progressing?" Hiashi inquired as he took a sip of his tea. It would do no good for him to turn over the household to Hinata-chan if her head retainer was not up to the task of maintaining it.

"Exceptionally well, she will be more than ready to take over when the time comes," Genshirou-san stated, clearly understanding the underlying concern behind the question without it being explicitly stated.

"I see. Then as usual, you chose well," he complimented as he allowed one of his pressing concerns to be resolved.

"Indeed. Her progress is only surpassed by Yotsugi-dono. You have instructed her well." At the sound of Genshirou-san's own compliment, Hiashi stiffened. Here, was another worry.

"Hai, however, perhaps I have done too well a job," he stated after a short pause, taking the time to calm himself with the warmth of his afternoon tea.

"I see. So there is nothing more for you to teach Yotsugi-dono. Shall I search for another instructor?" It was a testament to how long they had known each other, that Genshirou-san knew his next request without it even being voiced.

"Hai, search the entire clan. Use your excellent instincts to find an appropriate clansmen," Hiashi acknowledged as he took the final sips of his tea. There was still time. Hinata-chan wouldn't need another instructor until she reached the rank of Chuunin. And although there was an upcoming Exam within the next few months, he very much doubted she would be prompted then.

After all, the Exam would be here in Konoha. Unfortunately, Konoha's Chuunin Exam was notorious for being extremely difficult to pass. Rookies weren't expected to participate, let alone pass the first section. No, he expected Hinata-chan to honor the clan by participating as a rookie, anything else would be beyond the scope of his imagination.

"As you wish, Hiashi-dono," Genshirou-san replied as he rose from his spot, quickly cleaning up the remnants of Hiashi's afternoon tea with practiced ease. Hiashi nodded his head as he left. He expected Hinata-chan to join him any minute now.

* * *

Hinata waited patiently as Tatsuki-san knocked on Otou-sama's office door. It had taken longer for her retainer to repack her travel bag than she had anticipated. By now Otou-sama would be more than aware of her first C rank mission as well as to the time of her arrival home. He would not be pleased with her delay in discussing it with him.

His door slid open without prompting and the familiar cadence of Genshirou-san's stride slipped past her, pausing only long enough to greet her, the tilt of his head leaving ripples in the stale air of the corridor. Stepping back and out of the way, Tatsuki-san allowed Hinata to enter first before following.

"Honorable Hiashi-dono, Yotsugi-dono is here to take a moment of your time," she announced before bowing lightly and backing out of the room. The door slid shut before Otou-sama motioned to the cushion opposite him, the sound of the fabric of his haori shifting the only indication she needed to recognize the gesture.

"I have received word of your latest achievement. Your first C rank mission, please elaborate on the details," Otou-sama requested as he set his brush down, training his attention on her.

"Hai, Otou-sama. We shall leave tomorrow at 0900 from the west village gates, however, we are to arrive early to discuss any last minute details with our Sensei. The mission parameters are simple: deliver a missive to the Fire Daimyo. If all goes to plan, we shall not be gone for more than a week," Hinata responded succinctly.

"Very well," Otou-sama stated before shifting in his spot, the sound of rustling papers accompanying the movement. "As you are aware, we conduct large scale business transactions within the Fire Nation capital. One of our venders is anticipating the renegotiation of his contract. You shall assist in the process," he instructed, the hollow sound of a scroll being placed on the hard surface of his low sitting desk following his words.

"Hai, Otou-sama, however, what of the current Hyuuga clan representatives within the capital? Are they not in a better position to renegotiate this contract?" Hinata inquired, unable to fathom why he would ask this of her on top of her very first C ranked mission.

"They have the background and the basic information needed to advise you, however, _you_ are Reishi. You are always in the best position to renegotiate any contract." At the cool sound of Otou-sama's voice as he replied, Hinata finally understood what was occurring. This was another step in her journey. In order to effectively manage the Hyuuga clan, she would need to be able to accomplish multiple tasks simultaneously. Although she was a ninja of Konoha, she would always be responsible for the Hyuuga clan. Otou-sama was giving her this task because he thought she was ready. There could be no greater honor.

"I see, Otou-sama. What would you have me do?" she asked, her back stiffening and her cloth covered gaze staring unwavering ahead of her. If Otou-sama had faith in her abilities despite his disdain for her current training method, then she could have faith in herself.

"You will contact our current Hyuuga clan representatives and take point on this renegotiation. You shall not fail to honor the clan in this endeavor," he stated calmly as he pushed the scroll closer to her, the sound of the scroll scrapping softly against the wood of his desk an audible reminder of the task at hand.

"Hai, Otou-sama. I shall inform Sensei tomorrow of this additional task," she replied confidently. She was more than ready for this new challenge.

"Reishi, once you succeed in both of these missions, you will bring great honor to the clan," Otou-sama added, clear dismissal in the sound of his voice. Nodding shortly, Hinata rose from her spot, scroll wrapped firmly in her grasp. She would not fail Otou-sama here.

* * *

"…and a pair of wool lined restraints," Shino noted quietly to himself as he placed the last item on his packing list next to the rest. He took a moment to peruse his neatly arranged items, each spread carefully across the surface of his desk and his bed and unfortunately, to his utter distaste, his floor. While it had taken him several hours longer than he'd originally anticipated, he'd finally felt satisfied that he had everything he would require. He'd meticulously recounted every possible scenario, no matter how implausible, and analyzed the necessary equipment needed in order for their mission to meet a successful conclusion. No matter what happened tomorrow and the ensuing days, thanks to his assiduous preparations he was confident Team Eight would triumph.

Now, all that was left was to actually pack his travel satchel. Shino's eyes swept the expanse of his waiting equipment and prudently compared it to the size of his bag. 'I appear to have fabricated quiet the challenge,' he thought as he bent down to retrieve his satchel. 'No matter, there is an adequate amount of space for all of my essential articles,' he continued as he turned back to gaze upon his equipment, analyzing the best way to approach packing his bag.

Finally settling on an angle of attack, Shino moved deftly and efficiently as he packed his bag. Thirty minutes later, Shino took a step back. As he had anticipated, there had indeed been sufficient room for everything. 'As to be expected,' he thought as he moved the unsurprisingly heavy satchel to the floor, resting it against the cool metal of his desk. 'When one approaches any problem with calm, order and diligence, very little is impossible to achieve,' he finished as he turned away from his desk.

Glancing at his wrist, Shino noted the time. 1648. Dinner wasn't for another one hundred and two minutes. While he wasn't accustomed to having extra free time due to the rather packed training schedule that Team Eight maintained, he was pleased to realize that he had more than enough time to check on his current cultivations.

Swiftly exiting his room, Shino took the short route to the attached greenhouse. Like every Aburame, the space the greenhouse took up was roughly twice the size as the domicile he shared with his father. While originally only a small section had been dedicated to his own activities, over time, his own portion of the area had increased to nearly half the space. Soon, he would need to build his own greenhouse which was actually an unusual occurrence for an Aburame.

Typically, Aburame children didn't outgrow their parent's greenhouse until they were official ready to move out and begin preparations for the soon growth of their own family. However, Shino had never fallen into the typical category for anything. His love for insects surpassed even the most ardent members of his clan. It had consumed him his entire life, isolating him from actually socializing with other Aburame children, which went against the grain. While Aburame were typically ostracized from regular Konoha society, they were normally very social with each other. However, Shino had always felt more comfortable studying the exhilarating life of insects alone, rather than discussing them in a communal setting.

As such, he'd spent hours upon hours cultivating and growing his own habitation of useful and exotic insects. Soon, he'd even be ready to start experimenting with breeding patterns. A prospect that he was rather keen to begin.

Briefly, Shino wondered what his teammates would think of the first breeding synthesis he planned to attempt in the very near future. A combination of one of the more toxic and one of the more benign varieties for the kikaichuu so as to generate a poisonous variant that could more easily cohabitate with the host body than the venomous nano-sized insects. While he doubted the poison would be as effective as the rarely used venomous nano-sized kikaichuu, he hoped the poison would provide an additional combative edge on the battlefield to the members of his clan.

Knowing his teammates, Kiba-kun would adjudge the aim as _cool_ while still finding the idea mildly repellent. Unlike the majority of the village, the Inuzuka Clan had a distaste for the Aburame practice of housing insects in their bodies simply because of their unfortunate experience with fleas. According to Kiba-kun, fleas were a recurrent, vexatious epidemic that plagued the clan. Apparently, biweekly flea baths have permanently traumatized his rather boisterous teammate.

Of course, Shino could see the logic in their aversion. While fleas are fascinating creatures, they are frequently considered somewhat of a nuisance. After learning this little tidbit about his teammate, he'd assumed that there would be a natural limit to their relationship. Which surprisingly hadn't been the case. Apparently, Inuzukas are also quite tactile people in nature. While Kiba-kun can restrain himself from being overly tactile with Hinata-sama for obvious reasons, he apparently seems to compensate for it by accosting Shino's person at every opportunity.

And Akamaru-kun was no different. While he'd kept his distance during the beginning stages of their team formation, he too seemed incapable of staying away from Shino's person. Apparently, Inuzuka ninken were just as tactile in nature as their human partners. Fortunately, the small dog was able to practice restrain where Hinata-sama was concerned. Somehow, he very much doubted that licking her face with the force Akamaru seemed to enjoy licking Shino's would not likely be well received.

Thinking about the pair reminded Shino of the most surprising aspect of his team. Touch. He didn't think he'd ever been touched that frequently or that casually in his entire life. Not even when his mother had been alive. Of course he needn't be preoccupied over such things where Hinata-sama was concerned. Ever the paradigm of poise and grace, there was no fear that she would accost his person in any foreseeable scenario. Hinata-sama would presumably deem his proposed endeavors admiral and nod approvingly in his direction. The strategic advantages of such a new species of kikaichuu would not be overlooked by the sharp intellect of his female teammate.

Shino further pondered the enigma that was Hinata-sama. Despite her position in the village that put her well above him in every way possible, Hinata-sama was a deceptively kind soul at heart. She never immediately dismissed any suggestion made by either of her two teammates despite how vacuous Kiba-kun could be occasionally.

When time allowed, she made a conscious effort to hear their thoughts on any given scenario although she wasn't too placating to allow such frivolous allowances to occur when the situation called for immediate action. Hinata-sama led so naturally, that Shino found himself easily conceding to her directives. She was a born leader. Where Shino had originally thought it impossible, now he realized that it was merely a rare occurrence.

Additionally, the bond they had constructed in such a short amount of time astounded him. In all his life, he could never have conceived of the notion. Typically, when the bullheadedness that was common among Inuzukas was integrated with the quiet reserve that permeated his clan's depiction and tied together with the quintessential Hyuuga apathy, the byproduct rarely meshed. But somehow that wasn't the case with them. Logic, drive and a willingness to work jointly in order to succeed had pushed them together and was only aided by what they procured from each other.

While Shino could not say with certainty what his teammates reaped from their partnership, he knew without a doubt that they all gained. For him, he'd acquired an acceptance that he'd never thought he'd receive. In Team Eight, he was not the outcast, the antisocial pariah. He was just Shino and he greatly appreciated that.

Turning to the colony of kidaichuu that he'd yet to master fighting with, Shino was interrupted from his informative conversation with said insects by the quiet presence of his father.

"Your cultivations have become more than adequate," his father noted as he lifted a finger to make a physical connection with Shino's kidaichuu colony. "Once you have mastered their additional chakra concerns, you shall be a formidable adversary on the battlefield."

Nodding at his father's complement, Shino addressed his father's unvoiced question. "Logically, you have noticed the early time at which I have arrived home. Why? Because I arrived shortly after 1230 which is several hours earlier than my usual arrival time. Thus, you must be wondering why."

"Indeed, the thought had crossed my mind," his father responded stoically, nodding slightly in agreement.

"My team was released early so that we could adequately prepare for our upcoming mission. Why you ask? Because we have received our first C rank mission. As such, we will be leaving the village. Thus, we require additional time to prepare," Shino answered as he turned briefly to gage his father's reaction.

Ever the proud Aburame, his father showed no outward sign of emotion, neither approval nor disdain, as he replied. "I am unsurprised. From the regular reports that your Sensei has graciously provided me, this was the most logical conclusion."

"I must concur. Why? Because I have reached the same logical conclusion. Why is this? Because my team has progressed exceptionally far in our training. As such, we have nearly exhausted the challenges that can be presented by a D rank mission. Thus, the next logical step would be the acquisition of a C rank mission," Shino responded as he returned his focus to the kidaichuu colony in front of him. He could feel the buzz of their frantic energy calling out to him. Out of all of the insect varieties that they currently used, the kidaichuu were the most destructive.

Shino caught the minute motion of his father's nod of agreement as he moved on to more probing inquiries. "Have you used your additional time allotted efficiently?"

"Undoubtedly. Why is this? Because I have completed all of my preparation for our mission. As such, I have accounted for all conceivable occurrences and packed accordingly. Thus, I am adequately prepared and my time efficiently spent," Shino replied succinctly.

"Indeed. Have you considered taking additional kikaichuu?" his father questioned, the motion of his hands slipping back into his pant pockets distracting him momentarily from his kidaichuu colony.

"Hai, however, I have deemed it an unnecessary measure. Why you ask? Because given every foreseeable scenario, the additional chakra spent in maintaining an extra colony is not equalized by the overall gains of possessing such a colony. Why is this? Because at most we may encounter ten separate altercations each of which would last no more than thirty minutes on a worst case scenario however we may be gone for upwards to seven days. As such the three hundred minutes of actionable use does not outweigh the overall ten thousand and eighty minutes of additional chakra support an additional colony will require. Thus, I shall not be taking additional kikaichuu with me," Shino replied, once again shifting his focus away from his kidaichuu colony.

"Your logic is sound, however, I will suggest that you shift more of your focus to expanding your chakra reserves," his father added with a nod.

"Duly noted. I shall take your advice under consideration. Why? Because it is sound advice as the increase in my chakra reserves will allow me to maintain a greater number of kikaichuu. As kikaichuu are my primary weapon, increasing the number of colonies I can maintain will increase my usefulness on the battlefield. Thus, I will be a more effective shinobi."

At the conclusion of Shino's statement, his father turned presumably to start preparations for the evening meal. However, before he left visual range, he stopped. "Your mother would have greatly approved of your progress," his father announced before returning to his trek back to their dwelling.

Shino paused as his mind swam with thoughts of the warm woman who had been a part of his life for such a short time. 'Strange,' he thought as he turned back to the task at hand. His father rarely brought up the subject of his mother. Perhaps the man was more proud of his achievements than he had openly acknowledged.

* * *

"Nee-chan, Nee-_chan_," Hanabi-chan's excited call reached her ears long before her little body collided with Hinata's small frame.

"Hai, imouto?" Hinata asked calmly as she allowed Hanabi-chan to cling to her a little longer before gently pushing her away. At six years old, she really was too old to be clinging on to anyone, but Hinata had a hard time denying her little sister anything, including those few extra seconds where she got to truly act her age.

"Is it true, Nee-chan?" Hanabi-chan asked energetically. Hinata's brow rose in chastisement though she knew her little sister would be unable to see the gesture behind the heavy black cloth covering her eyes. Hinata had spent a large amount of time in the last few weeks discussing proper conversation etiquette with Hanabi-chan. She should really know better than to be so vague. "Ah, is it true that you're going away?" she corrected her sentence, also managing to calm down in the process.

Nodding once in approval of Hanabi-chan's self-correction, Hinata answered succinctly. "Hai, tomorrow my team will be leaving the village on a mission. We will be traveling to the Fire Nation capital."

"Oh wow," Hanabi-chan exclaimed in excitement before tugging on the nearest hand she could reach, pulling Hinata in the direction of the family Zen garden. "Will you bring me back a present?" she asked at a more even volume. Hinata noted that it wouldn't be long now before she gained complete control of her speech pattern and tone.

"Of course, imouto. I shall bring you back a gift touched by the Fire Daimyo himself," Hinata announced, knowing it would produce a happy squeal of laughter from her little sister.

For a while they travelled silently though the garden, the gentle sound of falling water an audio reminder of the beautiful Koi ponds artfully lining the area. Stopping at the center of the garden, Hanabi-chan pulled lightly on the hand firmly in her grasp, bringing her to sit beside her on the stone bench residing at the gardens heart.

"Will you wear this while you're away?" Hanabi-chan asked softly as her small hands traced the edge of the black cloth covering her eyes.

"Hai, imouto," Hinata replied calmly, attempting to assuage her little sister's worry with the gentle sound of her voice.

"But it covers your eyes. How will you fight without your eyes?" Hanabi-chan continued worriedly, her small fingers moving to the soft white silk of her hitai-ate.

"Well, that's a part of my training. I no longer need my eyes to fight," Hinata answered, keeping her voice light and steady to reassure Hanabi-chan.

"Very well," she replied simply, the sound of the statement a near perfect imitation of Otou-sama. "Will you promise to be careful?" she asked after a long pause. Even at six, she knew better than to ask Hinata to promise to come home. That was a promise that no ninja could guarantee.

"Always, imouto," Hinata responded immediately. That was a promise that she would always keep. Quietly they enjoyed the serenity of the garden, allowing the calm of nature to work its way into their bones. Hinata sat back and enjoyed this time with her little sister, a rarity that would only grow sparser as time pressed forward. Hinata allowed all her problems of the moment to fade away as she enjoyed the moment. She could fix the mess that Tatsuki-san had made of her travel pack later.

* * *

**KJ's Culture Corner**

_(1) Senpai and kouhai._ You might have noticed us use senpai earlier and were confused why it didn't make its way into that culture corner (Genin Exams)? The easy answer, that corner was getting super long… Yeah, so we put it off until now. As mentioned before senpai is used to address one's senior (in education or business). Kouhai is the reverse, used to address juniors. Both of these can often be found used in school and the work place. So, you might be wondering why we've only used senpai thus far? That answer is a little less simple, but is mostly because Kakashi (the only real senior we have) forms a connection with most of the people who he would call kouhai. Which means, you can probably look forward to kouhai being used later on.

_(2) Tea and the Hyuuga._ As you may have noticed, we have depicted the Hyuuga clan as very traditional. This includes the importance of tea ceremonies (see culture posts on tumblr) and tea in general within the clan. Still, the importance of tea is at a new extreme within certain parts of the Hyuuga clan. The retainers like Tatsuki and Genshirou are part of the Hyuuga clan that takes tea to a new extreme because of the importance the tea ceremony has within the retainer subculture. (More about the retainers at a later date.) In fact, Genshirou whole heartedly believes that there is a tea to heal every ailment.

* * *

_**AN:**_ We've mentioned Hanza before. But just in case some of you can't remember what happened way back in chapter one, I'll refresh your memory. Hyuuga Hanza was the founder of the Hyuuga clan as they are in Konoha. Thus, he was the leader of the Hyuuga clan during the creation of Konoha, and with Senju Hashirama created the many ideals of what Konoha is today. So, yes. Hanza takes the place of Madara for founders of Konoha. There will be more about him much later (second story really).

However, what this long winded authors note was intended for is to explain the use of the blind Hyuuga within our story. Since the Byakugan is so recognizable, it would have been imperative for Hyuuga's to hide it at least before the Hyuuga seal's creation. Therefore, Hyuuga's used blindfolds and pretended to be blind when out in public so as not to attract unwanted attention. We had no intention of making Hinata blind, when we first started. However, the blindfold was a natural progression when Hanza's story was unfolded to us. Thus, Hinata uses this method for _training_.

_**AN2:** Sorry there are so many author's notes in this chapter, but it couldn't be helped. Okay, so some have you may have noticed us mention the 'west gates'. Well, if you're a Naruto purist then you'll already know that in the original Naruto Universe there are only one set of gates. However, this is not the original universe so some changes have been made. As you will soon notice, our Konoha is much bigger than the original, hence the added gates. Hope this divergence doesn't bother you too much. As always thanks for reading._


	11. The Fire Capital

**AN:** So first thing first, sorry this is a little late, but we're on vacation (we only have seven days, two spent driving so it is what it is). Anyway, here's the chapter, it's a bit long, but hopefully ya'll will enjoy it. Anyway, if you haven't seen the tumblr page please do so, the full experience is there (see a link in my profile page). Enjoy.

**PS** - We still own nothing, not Naruto nor the little bits of Bleach that pop through.

**PPS** - Not much new this chapter in way of words, but here:

_Denshi jisho_

Haori – out jacket of a kimono

Daimyo – lord (spelled daimyo instead of daimyou for pure aesthetic reasons)

Shiruku-Rabenda – literal translation is Silk-Lavender

* * *

_**Arc – C Ranks**_

_Chapter Eight: The Fire Capital _

Elbow bent, head propped up on the palm of his hand, and his left arm draped casually across the warm body next to him, Itachi pinned his last adversary with his piercing dark gaze. As was customary, his body had awoken at 0430. Ordinarily, he would have immediately slipped from his bed in order to start his day with calisthenics. After all, he still needed to maintain his skill set despite the fact that he was now the Sensei for a Genin team. And of course, he quite enjoyed his morning personal training sessions.

So, it was rather perplexing that he had no desire to move from the warm confines of the bed he was currently occupying. His torso throbbed, some of his ribs presumably bruised, and he was fairly certain he was still bleeding from different parts of his body. Of course, this wasn't an entirely unfamiliar scenario. He'd woken up in far worse condition on a number of occasions. However, he'd never been this content. While he was probably going to need stitches for a few of his wounds, he wasn't particularly concerned over it. Completely at ease with his situation, he was content to just lay there.

So, he didn't bother with dragging his body from the warm bed. Instead, he'd propped himself up so that he could stare down at the still sleeping woman beside him. Hana-chan was certainly something else. She was powerful and wild and vulgar and kind and fun and challenging and beautiful and so much more. She never seemed to slow, not even for a moment. In fact, he didn't think he'd ever seen her so relaxed as she was when she was sleeping. It was nice.

At least it was until he managed to tear his eyes away, glancing up only to see three identical heads glaring at him. Teeth bared, he was certain their threatening gazes were meant for him. He surmised a lesser man would be unnerved by the hostile display, however, he was not disturbed. Clearly, Hana-chan's ninken had issued him a challenge. He would not back down. Which was how he found himself here, hours later, a rough estimate as he refused to be the first to look away, still having a stare down with Hana-chan's ninken.

Movement shifted the arm that was still draped across her as she woke, rolling to face his chest. "Kami-sama, what fucking time is it?" she mumbled as she grabbed for the discarded pillow, haphazardly thrown on the floor some time during the previous night, and pressed it over her head in an attempt to block out the sun.

"I assume somewhere around 0630," Itachi replied without looking down at her. He would not lose this challenge.

"Ahhh, it's _way_ too damn early to be up," Hana-chan groaned as she stretched out against him, head still firmly under her pillow. The sensation was mildly distracting, but Itachi held strong.

"I apologize if I woke you," he spoke calmly as he hardened his stare. He could feel his opponent weakening. Any minute now and he would remain the victor.

"Nah, it's okay. My lazy ass really sure be up now anyway. You will _not_ believe the amount of paperwork my mother has conveniently left for the last minute, at a time she just so fucking happens to be away for," she replied with another groan.

"Parents can indeed be rather difficult," he consoled. While he'd never been forced to finish necessary clan documents, he was familiar with being manipulated into completing unsavory tasks by his father.

"What are you doing?" Hana-chan asked as she pulled the pillow from her head, finally noticing his preoccupied state.

"I am winning a staring contest," he stated confidently. He could feel his adversary fading.

Hana-chan turned in her spot to look at who he was staring at before letting out an exasperated sigh. "How long has this been going on?"

"Nearly two hours by my estimations. While the younger two conceded defeat about an hour ago, the oldest seems content to continue his challenge," Itachi offered without looking away.

"Yeah, I'm not staying for this," Hana-chan replied as she moved to get up. The sudden movement drew both his and the eldest Haimaru brother's attention, effectively ending their staring contest. "When you two finish your pissing contest, I wouldn't be entirely opposed to company in my shower," she continued letting the covers slip to expose her nude body. She didn't bother to cover up as she moved to the door connected to her room. "And I don't mean the furry kind, sorry guys," she added teasingly over her shoulder before stepping into her bathroom. She didn't bother to close it.

Itachi stared dumbfounded at the open doorway before shaking himself from his stupor. This was definitely not his first interaction with Hana-chan; she really shouldn't still surprise him this much. Glancing at the clock on her low bedside table, Itachi noted the time. 0641. He really should be leaving. He still needed to retrieve his travel bag from the Uchiha Compound before he met his team for their mission. Speaking of team, he also shouldn't risk being seen leaving Hana-chan's room by Kiba-kun. It would be highly irresponsible of him.

The sound of falling water penetrated his thoughts as his body moved without his consent. In a blink of an eye, he found himself at the threshold of Hana-chan's bathroom. Stopping himself from crossing, he turned slightly, his gaze immediately falling to the eldest Haimaru brother.

"Houzukimaru-san correct?" he asked noting the hesitant nod from the ninken. He vaguely remembered Hana-chan introducing her ninken to him weeks ago. "You have been a worthy opponent," he concluded before finally stepping over the threshold and closing the door behind him. He was being completely irresponsible.

* * *

"Kuso. Kuso. Kuso," Kiba muttered under his breath as he scrambled to cram everything he thought he might need into his duffle bag. It was almost 0815, his bag was only half packed, he was supposed to meet his team at the west gate in thirty minutes and he still hadn't eaten breakfast. "Why didn't I pack last night?!" he lamented as he continued his frantic scramble to stuff as much as he could into his duffle bag.

"It's because I hate myself, Akamaru," he stated as he stared down at his ninken. "Did I forget anything?"

"_Your extra kunai set, an extra roll of ninja wire and clean underwear,"_ Akamaru yipped happy to help.

"Matte, what do you _mean_ I forgot clean underwear? There's underwear in here," Kiba stated as he grabbed his extra sets of ninja tools.

"_That was dirty underwear,_" the puppy corrected happily.

"Nani?! Why didn't you tell me when I put it in? That was like the first thing I crammed in here," he complained while pointing at his bag. "_Kuso_, now I have to start all over again," he added as he upended his duffle bag.

Picking up the underwear he had stuffed in there, he wrinkled his nose as he caught a whiff of the offensive odor. "Yeah, that's definitely not clean. Good call, Akamaru," he praised his ninken as he started to re-cram all the things he'd had to take out, this time making sure to put in his _clean_ underwear.

"Okay, so that's done," Kiba declared while stuffing the last article into the bag. "Now, let's grab something to eat," he continued as he exited his room, duffle stuffed under his arm. Entering the kitchen, Kiba tossed his bag on the table before hopping over to the fridge. "Cross your fingers that there's something in here," Kiba muttered under his breath as he opened the door. A relieved sigh left his lips as he spotted the milk; they only ever had milk if there was also cereal stuffed in the cabinets. That was, if it wasn't spoiled.

Grabbing the carton, Kiba popped it open and took a swig. "Yup, still good," he announced before taking another swig. Sliding over, Kiba grabbed a box of cereal from the cabinet as well as a bowl and spoon. He wasn't a hundred percent sure if his mother had made it back yet, so he wasn't going to risk getting caught pouring milk into the box and eating directly from it, not again. He valued his hearing too much.

Cereal poured into the bowl, Kiba started shoveling food into him mouth. He was halfway through the bowl before he realized he'd forgotten to put the milk in there. 'Oh well,' he thought. 'I'll have milk in my next bowl.'

Seven minutes later and his breakfast was consumed. "Yeah, new personal best. Pretty sure that's the fastest I've eaten three bowls of cereal," Kiba commented to Akamaru as he leaned back in his chair and tossed his bowl into the sink. He'd get that later, probably. "Hey, Akamaru, where's Hana?" he asked his ninken as he grabbed his duffle bag from the center of the table. "She's usually up by now. I would have thought she'd want to see me off," he mumbled to himself before getting up and heading down the hallway. "I'm pretty sure that's what good older siblings do," he spoke loud enough for the whole house to hear.

Pausing mid-step, he waited a couple of heartbeats before continuing down the hall. "Weird, normally, she'd yell some sarcastic comment back by now. Come on Akamaru let's check it out."

Jogging down the hallway, Kiba made it to his older sister's door in no time. Pausing, Kiba mentally prepared himself for what he might see. His sister's room was on the other side of the building for a reason after all.

"Hana, it is totally not cool for you to be…" he began only to stop at the sight in front of him. His eyebrows furrowed as he took in the scene. The room was…empty. The shower wasn't running. The Haimaru Brothers weren't lounging about. Hell, her bed was even made. Which was weird because she _never_ made her bed. "Oh well," he shrugged before shutting the door.

He turned back to his ninken. "Hey, Akamaru have you seen…is that Kaa-san in her office?" Kiba questioned distractedly as he noticed a shadow of movement in his mother's office. Which was also weird because _she_ never used the room. No, really, whenever she had paperwork to do, she'd just plop down on the couch and do it there, Kuromaru resting at her feet.

Approaching the door, Kiba stuck his head in the room. "Hey Kaa-san, I didn't know you were…oh, it's _you_," he stated as he saw his older sister sitting behind the desk, paperwork spread out in front of her, the Haimaru Brothers pacing the room restlessly.

"What do you want dweeb?" Hana asked, not bothering to look up at him.

"Where have you been?" he asked instead of answering her question. "And what are you _doing_ in Kaa-san's office?"

"I've been here, working. Now, is there something you _want_?" she answered exasperated as she finally looked up from the document she was reading.

"Ah, aren't you going to see me off?" he asked, confused. Yeah, Hana liked to tease, but she was never short with him. He wasn't sure how he was supposed to navigate the minefield he'd suddenly found himself in.

"Kuso, is it really already 0835?"

"Yeah, how long have you been at _that_?" he asked, pointing a disgusted finger at the offending paperwork. He really didn't think there was anything worse than paperwork. It was long, boring and it kept you inside for _hours_.

"About an hour of hell," she replied while getting up from her seat, sliding from behind the desk as she approached him.

"That is nowhere_ near_ long enough for you to be like _this_," he complained, waving his hands in Hana's direction as she followed him out of the room. He couldn't really imagine that paperwork was the only thing making her extra bitchy this morning, but that was really her problem. Maybe Kaa-san was giving her a hard time again. Or hey, maybe she hadn't gotten any last night. That would at least explain the made bed.

"Yeah, no. With this stuff, ten minutes is too long," she stated as they made their way down the hallway. While the main house was always open for anyone to drop by, this early in the morning, the hallways were almost guaranteed to be empty. No Inuzuka got up this early unless they had to.

"Well, sucks to be you," he teased as they reached the front door which was really just an entryway as it was almost never closed. He actually couldn't remember the last time they'd needed to close it. "Never been happier to _not_ be the heir."

"Yeah, whatever, you little perv," she tossed back at him as she captured him in a headlock.

Struggling to break free of her hold, Kiba pulled at her arm. No dice. "I give! I give!" Kiba gasped as he tapped at her arm, finally caving to her impossible hold. He would have tried longer only he really did have to go.

"Okay, now get out of here you little twerp," Hana teased, running a hand through his hair after releasing him from the chokehold.

Waving her hands away and fixing his hood, Kiba started for the west gate. "You know one day I'll be too big for you to put me in that," he called back, walking backwards so he could make sure she heard him.

"Yeah, in your dreams," Hana scoffed as she folded her arms across her body, leaning against the door frame.

"Alright, alright, I'm out of here. Let's go Akamaru," Kiba huffed out annoyed. It _would_ happen one day.

"Do try to stay alive dweeb, and take care of him Akamaru-chan," Hana called after him waving goodbye to his ninken.

"_Of course Hana-nee_," Akamaru barked happily as she turned to head back inside.

"Sure, whatever," he yelled back offhandedly. "Come on you little traitor," he mumbled before scoping up Akamaru from beside him. With his ninken safely tucked away into his jacket, they were ready to go.

* * *

"Well, that was anticlimactic," Kiba-kun stated as they watched the Fire Daimyo's military advisor exit the room.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Shino turned to look at his teammate. Travel bag slung over one arm and Akamaru-kun stuffed into the front of his jacket, despite the rather causal appearance, Shino was certain he'd never seen his teammate look so disappointed.

"Hey, don't give me that look. You all know I'm right," Kiba-kun defended as he swung an accusing finger in their direction. Akamaru-kun barking in agreement. As atypical as it was, Kiba-kun was indeed correct. Their mission had in fact been somewhat anticlimactic.

After meeting and further discussing the specifics of their mission at 0845 this morning, they'd left at exactly 0900, the Daimyo's missive firmly in hand. As had been decided, Shino had been entrusted with the responsibility of carrying the scroll. The most logical choice as both Itachi-sensei and Hinata-sama were too high profile and Kiba-kun was far too brash. They were all the more likely choices to hold it. Thus, the responsibility had naturally fallen to him.

Additionally, they'd decided to shorten their travel time by taking to the trees. While it had been the most logical choice, it also resulted in them reaching their destination by 1752, a nearly eight hour journey that went undisturbed.

"I mean, we didn't even get attacked by _one_ bandit party. Not _one_! Would that have been _so_ much to ask for?" Kiba-kun complained Akamaru-kun whining with him, clearly upset that they'd yet to fight anyone on this trip. "That's it, we're walking the way back," he declared with a pout as he crossed his arms.

Shino turned to glance at Hinata-sama to gauge her reaction. Despite the added risks of walking back to Konoha, he would be willing to go along with Kiba-kun's plan as long as Hinata-sama approved of the decision. She remained unmoving, hands tucked away in the sleeves of her white haori, the bold Hyuuga clan symbol emblazed in black on the back right above her title.

With almost anyone else, Shino would take no movement as a sign that he or she wasn't listening, but that was not the case with Hinata-sama. Over the weeks, he'd quickly learned that she was always listening. For her not to react to Kiba-kun's declaration meant that she saw nothing wrong with his request. So, it would appear that they were walking back.

"And where did that old man go?" Kiba-kun questioned rudely. "He said to wait here. You would think with our mission completed we'd be able to get out of here," he continued to complain, restlessly moving around the room.

Again, his teammate did have a point. When they'd arrived, they'd been made to wait an hour before anyone would see them. Which given that they were here to see the Daimyo, wasn't all that peculiar. Nevertheless, the wait had been long and they'd only stopped once to rest and consume a small snack. Given his own state, he could only assume that they were all similarly tired and hungry.

Suddenly, the door flew open and in walked the hurried steps of an ornately dressed man. Garbed in fire red robes, the Fire Nation symbol standing bold in white kanji on his chest, the man spoke without preamble. "Your presence is requested in the main hall. Please follow me." No sooner had the words left his lips did he spin on his heels, swiftly walking back out of the room.

Shino found the man's hast aberrant. He moved so briskly that he didn't bother to look back to ensure that they were indeed following him. He couldn't fathom what could be so urgent that an official Fire Nation representative would forego all formal practices of decorum.

Falling into step at his usual place to the right of his female teammate, Kiba-kun closing in on the left and Itachi-sensei taking the rear, they followed the man to a large ornate set of doors. "Please wait one moment," he requested before pushing open the oak doors, its golden trim glinting the light of the purely decorative fires lining the halls. Taking several steps into the room, the Fire Nation court official again didn't bother glancing back in their direction. "Your excellency, presenting the honorable Koushi-dono and her esteemed teammates," he announced before shifting to the side in a half bow.

Unsure of the proper procedure, Shino paused allowing Hinata-sama to take the lead. Surprisingly, this was not a scenario that he had envisioned upon preparing for this mission. It was far from customary for simple shinobi to be granted an audience with the Fire Daimyo especially when they hadn't actively sought out such an audience.

Walking a step behind his female teammate, Shino took note of the six individuals dispersed about the room. Their silent gaze burning as they stood vigil forcing him to make a conscious effort to resist calling his insect companions to the forefront. From the sash tied about their waists, he deduced that they were half the current contingency of the Fire Daimyo's personal guard. No matter how threatening they appeared, they would not be attacking their small party.

Steadily, their small group approached the Daimyo where he sat in the center of the room, kneeling in front of a low table, his closest advisors robed in black, the Fire Nation symbol stitched in red, flanking him. Shifting his attention, Shino focused on Hinata-sama taking note of every minute detail as he waited patiently for her silent cues. He was more than confident that she would not allow them to embarrass Konoha through their ignorance of court procedures.

"Takekasai-dono, you honor us with your presence," Hinata-sama greeted coolly. Her voice not deviating from that familiar detached tone that she addressed nearly everyone with as she bowed deeply. While she only held the position for a brief second, Shino thought it prudent that he remain in the bowed position that he'd quickly copied so as to avoid causing offence.

"And you honor all of Fire Nation with your presence here in the capital, Koushi-san," the Fire Daimyo replied, a Fire Nation fan blocking the lower portion of his face as he gave a friendly nod in Hinata-sama's direction before motioning to the place in front of him.

Even sightless, Hinata-sama didn't miss her cue as she gracefully stepped forward before taking the pro-offered seat. Shino stole a quick glance at his other teammates as they stepped forward as well, stopping a short distance from Hinata-sama's seated position. Not wanting to chance acquiring the Fire Nations' esteemed leader's animosity, they didn't move to sit, instead standing stiffly as they trained their gazes forward.

"The Hyuuga clan is humbled by your praise, Takekasai-dono," Hinata-sama stated with a small nod after finding her seat. "To what do we owe this great honor?" she inquired further. Hands neatly folded within the sleeves of her haori, she sat with the poise of woman of her station. If Shino had ever questioned her importance, he doubted he'd ever make such a mistake again.

"As modest as ever, Koushi-san. Of course, I could not allow the Koushi-san to visit the capital without greeting you personally," the Daimyo responded jovially, his large Fire Nation ceremonial hat swaying lightly as his head bobbed. "Do tell me, now that your mission is complete, will you be leaving the city?"

Unfazed by the unusual inquiry by the leader of the Fire Nation, Hinata-sama did not hesitate in her response. "We shall not quit the city for several more days as we have further business to conduct."

Obviously pleased with that response, the Daimyo replied happily, his fan lowering allowing the corners of his mouth to be seen, a smile firmly in place. "Ah, then I must further press upon you and request your presence as my honored guests for an evening."

"We are humbled to receive such an invitation. We could obtain no greater honor than to attend as your honored guests," Hinata-sama stated without pause. Her cool, calm composure remained despite the lofty position of the man with whom she conversed.

"Such a shame you arrived too late to join me for dinner tonight. No matter, we shall find another time," the Fire Daimyo spoke with a wave of his hand before turning slightly to the right. "Kenta-san what does my schedule look like," he inquired offhandedly to the man before returning his gaze to Hinata-sama.

"I'm sorry Daimyo-dono, but you have no available openings until Saturday," his advisor stated hesitantly. From his apparent apprehension, it seemed that the Daimyo did not take well to disappointments.

Lowering his fan to rest gently on the low table in front of him, the Fire Daimyo's frown was pronounced as his attention returned to Shino's female teammate. It almost appeared like he was worried that his next logical query might actually be declined. "Koushi-san, can I persuade you and your teammates to stay until Saturday?"

"Of course, Takekasai-dono," Hinata-sama replied, immediately returning the smile to the Daimyo's face. "We would be honored to extend our stay."

"Excellent, and do you have time to join me for evening tea?" he continued as he leant back in his seat lifting his fan back into the air.

"Unfortunately we do not, Takekasai-dono, as we have yet to obtain lodging for the week. We will need to attend to this before the hour grows any later," Hinata-sama declined without hesitation, clearly unconcerned with denying the Fire Daimyo.

"Of course, Kenta-san, arrange for the Higashi Shinagawa to have four rooms ready for the Koushi-san and her teammates to use for the week," he acquiesced easily before turning back to his advisor. At this point, Shino was unsurprised by the Fire Daimyo's hospitality. Clearly, Hinata-sama's presence required such an offer be made.

"Thank you for the gracious offer, however, we cannot accept," Hinata-sama immediately declined. While there were multiple reasons both political and strategic for her to refuse such an offer, Shino could not think of one that outweighed the possible ramifications of denying the Daimyo again. After all, he had the authority to make their stay here very uncomfortable. Logically, they could accept his offer and only use the number that they required.

"No, I insist, Koushi-san. I will not take no for an answer." Though the Fire Daimyo protested, he did so in a jovial manner, his ceremonial hat bobbing up and down as he spoke. Shino sighed internally in mild relief. Clearly the man did not feel slighted. Apparently, his female teammate could get away with such forward actions.

"As courteous as the offer is, four rooms is simply too much. We are but humble shinobi in the service of the Fire Nation. We do not require such luxuries."

"As true as that may be, the Hyuuga have brought such wealth and prestige to the Fire Nation that I cannot allow you to leave without accepting my hospitality."

At the sound of the Fire Daimyo's continued protest, Hinata-sama took a moment to pause before replying. "Very well, Takekasai-dono, however, we shall only accept two rooms. Anything more would be unnecessary," Hinata-sama artfully negotiated.

"You drive a hard bargain, Koushi-san, however, I agree to your terms." At the sound of the Fire Daimyo's agreement, Shino's eyes fell to his female teammate. The poise at which she approached the man was impeccable. He truly doubted he would ever have cause to question her diplomatic abilities.

"Arigatou gozaimasu, Takekasai-dono. We shall see you Saturday," Hinata-sama stated as she rose from her place. She didn't bother to wait for his formal dismissal.

"Hai, I shall send a currier with the specifics," the Daimyo replied unfazed by her actions.

"As always, it has been an honor," Hinata-sama stated. Shino took the sight of her slight bow as his cue to do the same.

"An honor that is returned in full," he replied before Hinata-sama turned to leave, Shino and the rest of Team Eight following on her heels.

* * *

"Man, this place is huge. It's a damn shame you didn't let us take all four rooms. It would have been pretty awesome to have a room like this all to myself," Kiba-san stated as he moved about the room, his feet dragging lightly against the floor. A soft thud signified that he'd dropped his bag on the low table in the center of the room, before falling back onto the couch next to it. "Hey, why is it that we're sharing two rooms instead of having four to ourselves," Kiba-san inquired as he stretched out on the couch, the sound of rustled fabric and joints popping an obvious indicator that he was making himself comfortable.

Moving easily about the room, Hinata made her way to the desk in the corner. It was always easier to traverse rooms with the constant flow of the air from the central cooling unit. Gently setting down the scroll that contained her bag against the cool wooden surface, Hinata allowed Shino-san to address Kiba-san's inquiry.

"Because we are shinobi. Why is this relevant? Because as shinobi we cannot be assured of our safety. As we are still on a mission, we must continue to be aware of our surrounds. As such we cannot split up completely. Thus, we have two rooms instead of four," Shino-san stated, the calculated sound of his voice echoing about the space as he too moved to claim a section of the room for himself.

"Okay, yeah, I get it. You can't defend four rooms as easily as you can defend two," Kiba-san replied in understanding. While it often took him longer to see the reasoning behind their actions, when he did understand, he moved on quickly, easily accepting their expertise in most matters. "So, how are we splitting up?" he asked as he pulled his ninken from his jacket, the little pitter patter of Akamaru-san's claws signaling his release.

Turning to face the activity at the center of the room, Hinata addressed his question to the entirety of the group. "Itachi-sensei should take one room while we occupy the other," she suggested, not anticipating any complaints from her decision. Unless Itachi-sensei strongly objected to a choice she'd made, he was normally agreeable to her orders. And of course, her two male teammates never hesitated to follow her lead.

"Matte, you don't want a single room, Hinata-sama?" Kiba-san questioned, obviously surprised at the grouping.

Mildly offended by his assumption that she would prefer to room alone, Hinata waited a beat longer before she replied. It really didn't matter if Kiba-san assumed she would want her own room because of her status or because of her gender, she was not particular pleased with his assumption. "That would not be the most strategic arrangement," she stated, settling on the least emotional response. He had likely not meant to offend, but that didn't mean she couldn't poke fun at his assumption to teach him a lesson.

"However, if you feel uncomfortable sharing your living space with a female, then you may room with Itachi-sensei," she continued, easily managing to suppress the teasing nature of her statement. By now, Kiba-san should really know that practicality came before everything else in her decisions.

"Hey, I'm not uncomfortable or anything. I live in a house packed with women who have probably never heard of the term modesty in the entirety of their lives. I just figured…you know what, never mind," Kiba-san defended before realizing the futility of any argument he could make. That was one good thing about him. When he realized his mistake, he was quick to rectify it.

"Very well, Hinata-sama," Itachi-sensei began from his position by the door. He had likely anticipated the suggested arrangement and had not wanted to become too comfortable when he would not be staying. "I realize that you will be conducting Hyuuga business for the rest of the week. I only ask that you all check in with me before you leave in the morning as well as when you return in the evenings."

"We hear you Sensei," Kiba-san stated with a wave, the movement creating unmistakable ripples in the air. "Now, if we hurry, we can still hit that restaurant I saw on our way here," he continued as he hopped up from his spot, taking a moment to pick up his ninken and place him back into the front of his jacket. "Come on I'm starved," he urged as he headed for the door, clearly past his previously embarrassment.

After a quick stop at their second room to allow Itachi-sensei to deposit his travel bag, they made their way out to the still busy streets of the Fire Nation capital. Kiba-san's constant chatter and Akamaru-san's occasional yipping filling the silence as they made their journey, it wasn't long until they were seated at Huangcheng Laoma, the capital's leading Chengdu hot pot style restaurant.

Hinata focused the majority of her attention on the boiling pot of hot oil before her as Kiba-san spoke excitedly about the attractions they'd already managed to pass in their short ten minute walk to the notorious restaurant. Even after seven weeks of being sightless, eating was the one task that took the majority of her concentration. There was just no getting around the complexity of the task, at least, not when each dish, whether a new experience or an old favorite, had a unique set of properties that was different with each cook and every new day.

She'd been fortunate enough to not have to worry too much over the differences between the dishes served at the Hyuuga Compound. As it stood, the majority of the fare consumed within the Compound had a specific, appropriate, way to be served. And while the main house head cook sometimes liked to vary the selection of food options, she didn't do so often.

No, at the Hyuuga Compound, each meal had a specific purpose and thus a required food item. As such she'd been more than accustom with the standard placement, temperature and odor of each dish. A familiarity that had eased the process as she adjusted to being sightless.

Similarly, the frequency at which her team frequented the many restaurants of Konoha allowed her to gain a familiarity with each food. Despite how Kiba-san often protested about the monotony of frequenting the same restaurants, they typically only dined at a select few. As such, the variety of fare within Konoha had too become a familiar occurrence. While the dishes were never exactly the same, they did have a relative set of properties that she often exploited to aid in the process.

However, these facts did not change the fact that every new dish required close study before she could become familiar with its general properties. She could no sooner rush her meal, then she could travel across the busy Konoha market place in hast. Incidentally, eating at restaurants added a level of difficulty that wasn't present in a household setting.

It lacked the intimacy of the odors and temperatures and sounds of a single meal as multiple dinners cluttered the atmosphere. Boisterous dinners added layers of sounds, smells and heats, increasing the overall difficulty of using her senses to distinguish the minute differences within her own meal. As such, she moved with hesitant reserve as she ate.

"Oh man, I can't wait to explore the city more," Kiba-san exclaimed. From the muffled sound of his voice, it appeared he'd made the comment around a mouthful of food. "There's just so much to see," he continued after swallowing. Despite the rather barbaric display of which she would eventually need to address, just because she could not see it did not mean she could not tell when Kiba-san was foregoing proper etiquette, he was correct. The Fire Nation's capital was an interesting city to visit.

The Fire Nation capital was a bustling hub of commercial exchange. Catering to both foreign dignitaries and domestic representatives, it was filled with energy and excitement. It was filled with markets upon markets and home to the numerous entertainers that made a living off of the large population of both residential citizens and visiting merchants. As such, she was unsurprised by his astonishment. This city was alive with a unique energy that could compare to nothing within the walls of Konoha. And while this was by no means her first visit to the city, it certainly was for her two teammates.

Navigating the boiling pot of chili oil as she dropped various meats into the center, unconcerned with attempting to identify the different meats, after all that was the general point of hot pots, Hinata remembered her first trip to the city fondly. Her first taste of the Fire capital had been several years ago. She'd been eight, deemed finally old enough to gain from the experience of accompanying her father on one of the several trips he made to the city within the year.

With Tatsuki-san by her side, she'd met the city with wide, curious eyes, barely able to maintain her Hyuuga poise. Since then, Hinata had been back several times, typically accompanying Otou-sama whenever he made the trip. Of course, she'd never actually had the opportunity to explore the city, to go sightseeing like any other visitor to the Fire capital. That had not been the point of those visits.

As it was, they barely had time for the meetings scheduled, let alone, leisure time to peruse the shops in one of the many market streets. The point had been for her to learn. From how to address foreign dignitaries to how to manage the many vendors that worked out of the city, Hinata had sat patiently and learned how each occurrence was to be handled. She'd sat patiently behind Otou-sama as he met with various vendors and dignitaries, assessing the state of Hyuuga affairs in person. She'd watched his every action and absorbed everything she could.

Of course this visit could not be placed in the same category as the rest. She was not here to watch quietly. She was not here to learn. She was here to lead. And while the majority of her time would be filled with research and discussion before the actual renegotiation meeting with her current vendor, her time would not be so completely filled that there would be no time for exploring.

It was this fact that Hinata looked forward to the most. Leading was nothing new, but taking the time to explore. She couldn't remember a time where she'd had enough free time to allow it. And seeing the world through the virgin eyes of her teammates, Kiba-san's natural excitement and Shino-san's reserved observations, would be an interesting experience, a new experience.

"So, what time are we leaving tomorrow morning?" Kiba-san inquired as the waiter brought out rice noodles to add to their boiling pot near the conclusion of their meal.

"I will not be meeting with my Hyuuga contacts until 1000," Hinata stated simply, not willing to force her teammates to accompany her for what would likely be a series of boring meetings for the two.

"So, we should get up at like 0940 or something?" Kiba-san continued completely ignoring the singularity of her previous statement as if it was a given that they would also attend.

"You may if you so desire, however, your presence is not required," Hinata replied as she deftly plucked some of the cooked noodles from the pot. She had no intention to force them to adhere to the previous agreement they'd made before leaving the village.

"Oh come on Hinata-sama, we're teammates. Of course we're going to come with you," Kiba-san replied, a sharp clink sounding as he set down his chopsticks across his bowl, pushing it away from him as he focused his sole attention on her.

"I must concur. Why? Because as your teammates we would like to aid in your endeavors. In order to aid you, we will have to accompany you. Thus, we will come with you," Shino-san added, stating his agreement before she could continue to protest.

"Very well, I am confident that I can find something for you to assist me with," she acquiesced, setting her utensils down to grab the warm green tea that had just been refilled.

"That is as it should be," Itachi-sensei commented. "It is best that you stay together. Even in the relative safety of the city, you can never be too careful."

Silence took over the table as they all finished their meals, sipping gently on the tea provided. "Hey Sensei, what are _you_ going to do with your free time?" Kiba-san asked as he sat down his cup, the straining sound of the wood of his chair indicating his laid back position.

"I will also be attending to clan business." Hinata was unsurprised by his answer. The Uchiha's merchant industry was second only to the Hyuuga. It made perfect sense for Itachi-sensei to attend to the Uchiha population residing within the city while he was here.

"Really? I didn't know the Uchihas were here too. Learn something new every day," Kiba-san muttered as he sat forward in his chair, the soft thud easy to spot even in the loud bustle of the restaurant. She could hear Akamaru-san climbing into his lap. Kiba-san absentmindedly petting him.

"Hai, there is a rather large merchant presence within the city. As heir, it is my duty to meet with them and address any concerns they may have," Sensei answered as he too set down his cup.

"Yeah, you have fun with that," Kiba-san stated off-handedly, the soft sound of his elbows hitting the table alerting her to his changed position as Akamaru barked in protest at being jostled. "Man, all it seems you heirs do is work, work, work. Well, except for you Shino-kun. Another perfectly good reason to be glad that I'm _not_ Hana."

"Indeed. Somehow, I believe the Inuzuka clan is better off," Itachi-sensei teased.

Hinata could imagine the absentminded nod from Kiba-san that would follow until he recognized the teasing nature of their Sensei's statement. It always took a while for Kiba-san to catch on to when he was being made fun of. "Hey!" Kiba-san protested as the meaning finally took route. Despite the newness of this mission, the experience, it would seem that some things would never change.

* * *

Jirou fumed as his long legs ate the distance of the empty corridor, the tail ends of his unbuttoned coal grey suit flapping behind him. "No, Kenji-san, no matter how you spin _this_, it doesn't change the _facts_," he continued, a hand in the air as he spoke. "This is my deal, _our_ deal, and it's being _taken_ from us. I've worked too hard, _we've_ worked too hard in this city to have something _this_ big be taken from us and given to a _child_ no less," he finished with a sharp movement from his hand, slashing the air in front of him.

"Do try to stay calm Jirou-sensei, you do remember what the doctor said," Kenji-san requested smoothly in an attempt to calm the man walking next to him.

"_You_ try staying calm!" Jirou nearly yelled as they turned a corner. He hated how little control he had of his emotions, but his father had given him up for a lost cause more than two decades ago. He'd never had patience for worthless second sons. "In a few minutes _I'm_ going to have to convince a _child_ that she isn't nearly qualified enough to handle this deal. Only _fools_ try to negotiate with children!" he continued, his hands going back into the air to punctuate the important points in his statement.

"But Jirou-sensei, I'm sure the honorable Hiashi-dono would not send Yotsugi-dono if she could not do this. She _has_ had ample training in the field of negotiation," his apprentice countered. Jirou shook his head. It would seem that Kenji-san's youthful optimism would again get in the way of his ability to see reason.

"Hai, that may be true, but that is _only_ training. It's theoretical work," Jirou responded as they turned another corner, the stairs just a few doors away. "Ten years! I've spent the last ten years of my life in _this_ city and before I even got here, I spent five, nearly six, years apprenticed to the foremost negotiator inside of Konoha. _I_ am the foremost negotiator in the capital. The Yotsugi-dono is _barely_ a _Genin_. She's been trained to be a _ninja, _not a negotiator, and that's where she belongs! On the battlefield, fighting, or doing whatever it is that ninjas do. Not _here_, in _my_ city, taking _my_ job," he finished as his feet took the first step of the long stairwell.

"Sensei, you've really been away from the village for far too long if you truly believe that all the Yotsugi-dono's training revolved around fighting," Kenji-san argued as he followed close behind, his traditional grey Hyuuga kimono shortening his stride forcing Jirou to take the steps only one at a time instead of at the three that his long legs could easily manage. He really needed to impress upon Kenji-san how important mobility was and these Land of Water style suits really were the best that one could do while maintaining the Hyuuga dignity.

"I once witnessed her beat the headmaster in a game of _go _in my last year and she was only nine at the time," he continued his defense. Jirou wasn't sure why his apprentice would think that he would be impressed by that. This was the Yotsugi-dono they were talking about. He was sure the headmaster was smart enough not to anger her by actually beating her. No, Jirou was confident that the headmaster had let her win. He probably even used it as a teaching game before allowing her to defeat him.

"That may be true, but it still doesn't change the fact that the Yotsugi-dono has no experience _here_," Jirou humored the much younger man as they continued their ascent. "She is nowhere _near_ qualified enough to take on such a high profile contract. Even _you_, Kenji-san, don't have enough experience to take this on and you've been _my_ apprentice for three years."

"You make several good points Jirou-sensei, however, I would think that the Yotsugi-dono would also be aware of this. I think she knows it's in her best interest to listen to our expertise," Kenji-san defended as they hit the last landing, exiting the stairwell and turning down the hall. "You've been away from Konoha for too long. You don't know the Yotsugi-dono like I do."

"You better hope you're right Kenji-san because this was _my_ chance," Jirou stated, stopping suddenly as he turned to face his apprentice head on. "All I needed was this _last_ contract before my father made a bid on my behalf to get me on the Policy Council," he began, a finger digging into the young man's chest. "It's been decades since there was a member of the noble Fumitake Family on the Policy Council. The honor that I could bring my family with this would be _far_ greater than my spoiled rotten older _brother_ who didn't have to _work_ for his General Council seat. If some spoiled _princess_ ruins this for me," he threatened with a shake of his head. "I won't be responsible for what happens."

Spinning back around on his heels, Jirou continued down the hall to the room they would be meeting the Yotsugi-dono in. Glancing down at the gold plated watch resting on his wrist as he paused right outside the door, he noted that they would be ten minutes early. He swore softly under his breath. Now they would have to wait for her to show up. 'I hope the Yotsugi-dono has enough sense to not be _late _ to this damn meeting,' he thought as he absentmindedly pushed the door open.

Lifting his head up from his watch, Jirou sighed in relief at the sight before him. At least he had one less thing to worry about. Before him, already seated behind the low desk in the middle of the room was the Yotsugi-dono with two other young ninjas behind her. The wild looking one, the markings on his face identifying him as a member from the Inuzuka clan, leant against the back wall, arms crossed as his ninken sat on his head. The other shinobi, reserved and tall for his apparent age, stood stoically behind the Yotsugi-dono, the high collar and opaque glasses reminiscent of an Aburame, his hands firmly shoved into the pockets of his jacket. Clearly, the Yotsugi-dono had brought her teammates.

Stepping fully into the room, Jirou's eyes narrowed back in on the Yotsugi-dono. There was just something unnerving, something he couldn't place right away. Almost immediately, his eyes focused on the heavy cloth of her hitai-ate. At first glance, he'd thought the Yotsugi-dono had deviated vastly from the norm and covered her unmarked forehead.

From what he could remember, no first born from one of the ten noble Hyuuga Families had ever covered their birthright. As far as he knew, most Hyuuga shinobi liked to show off the intricate tattoos highlighting the honored seal. His own Fumitake family tattoo stood proudly against his forehead. However, he could be wrong. After all, the only noble family that ever really produced Konoha shinobi was the first family. For all he knew, the placement of their hitai-ate had more to do with utility than personal preference.

Of course, none of those thoughts mattered when he realized that the Yotsugi-dono's hitai-ate wasn't covering her unmarked forehead. Shock rocked through him when he realized that the Yotsugi-dono had covered the pride of the Hyuuga clan, her eyes. She stared straight ahead, unmoving, unseeing, and he wasn't entirely sure how he felt about it.

He glanced back at her teammates, their presence in a Hyuuga matter finally making sense. Whether it was permanent or simply a temporary development, the Yotsugi-dono was traveling blind. Grinning internally, Jirou turned his attention back to the Yotsugi-dono. He could work with this. "Yotsugi-dono, it is an honor to be in your presence," Jirou greeted with a bow, he didn't bother to go as low as would normally be required. As it was, he highly doubted she'd notice. "I am Hyuuga Jirou of the Fumitake family and this is my apprentice Hyuuga Kenji. We shall be your guides and advisors for the Shiruku-Rabenda contract."

"Jirou-san, please take a seat," the Yotsugi-dono stated with a slight nod to her head.

Jirou moved forward quickly. If he played his hand right he could still have this contract without insulting the Yotsugi-dono. Sinking to the floor, Kenji-san standing behind him, he didn't wait to be further acknowledged before he spoke. "We have prepared a thorough dossier on the Shiruku-Rabenda contract, however, given the current circumstances, I think it is best if I allow Kenji-san to continue holding on to it while I verbally inform you of everything you need to know."

Jirou sat back on his haunches and shifted his gaze away from the Yotsugi-dono to shake his head at Kenji-san who had already moved to take said documents from his brown leather satchel bag. He ignored the heated glare the young Inuzuka shot him, his ninken lightly growling form his position atop his head, for his mild disrespect. He wasn't here to please the Yotsugi-dono's teammates.

And it wasn't as if the Yotsugi-dono could see him. He just didn't see the point of going through the motions if they would go unappreciated. "We will be working with Hisakawa Kaoru directly to renegotiate his contract. Currently, Hisakawa-san is the primary vendor for silk and lavender herbs to the Hyuuga clan. Like all vendors, Hisakawa-san wants to increase his profit yields. Our task is to reward his good service in such a way that his new contract does not detract from the overall Hyuuga clan finances."

"Kenji-san and I have been working on an adequate contract that I believe you will agree is to the benefit of all parties involved," Jirou continued with a nod before rising from his spot. "We shall see you again this Friday to go over the contract once more before Hisakawa-san arrives. Given the circumstances, I am more than happy to provide my services as reader," he finished with a short bow. While he didn't think it was all that necessary, he didn't feel the need to stop himself from the automatic habit. Old habits die hard, after all.

Turning to the door, Jirou was nearly across the room before the Yotsugi-dono addressed him. "That will be unnecessary, Jirou-san." The Yotsugi-dono's cold voice froze him in his place. If he hadn't been certain that she couldn't see him, he would have worried that his less than respectful behavior had angered the Yotsugi-dono.

"I'm sorry Yotsugi-dono, but what is unnecessary?" he questioned as he turned back to face her.

"Your services are not required for this contract," she replied calmly, the rigid poise she excluded setting him on edge. Even blindfolded, the Yotsugi-dono was an intimating figure.

Mildly miffed at his sudden hesitation, Jirou drove head first into his questioning. "I apologize Yotsugi-dono, but if not me or my apprentice how do you expect to read the contract, given your current lack of eye sight," he shot back with far more passion than he knew was appropriate.

"How I accomplish the task is not your concern, Jirou-san. What you should be concerned about is completing the task set before you," the Yotsugi-dono replied evenly, her Hyuuga reserve never breaking for a moment. "Now, sit. We have much to discuss."

"Ah, of course Yotsugi-dono," Jirou replied, bowing deeply. Clearly, he had underestimated the Yotsugi-dono. If he wanted to keep his name in the running for his council position, then he would need to try to salvage whatever he could from this meeting. Slowly sinking back down into the seat he'd just moments ago vacated, Jirou turned his attention back to the Yotsugi-dono. "What would you like to know?"

"We shall begin with reviewing your dossier." Without shifting in her spot, the familiar hitai-ate of Konoha staring straight at him, as if it could gaze into his soul, she motioned for her associate. "Kiba-san, if you would."

Silently, the Inuzuka approached Kenji-san, his stare glaring daggers into them both as he took the rather large folder from his apprentice's trembling hands. Without words, her teammate returned to her side, plopping down unceremoniously to her left as he flipped open the page, his ninken wiggling atop his head. "Now, let us begin," she stated as soon as the page was open, her blind stare never leaving Jirou. As if on cue, her other associate, the Aburame he assumed, pulled out a small notebook, his hand moving quickly across the page as the Inuzuka began to read the first page.

"Shiruku-Rabenda Contract…" the sound of his voice pulling his attention back to the Yotsugi-dono who had yet to look away from him. The Konoha shinobi symbol burning a hole into his consciousness, he was sure his nightmares would feature the leaf emblem. Gulping, he pulled his focus back to the discussion at hand. No, he would definitely never underestimate the Yotsugi-dono again.

* * *

"Thank you Itachi-kun for hearing this old woman's complaints," Nukumi-basan stated with a light pat to his cheek. "It warms an old woman's heart to know you care."

"It is of no trouble," Itachi replied with a nod after Ba-san released his face. "I shall address the issue with Otou-san as soon as I return to the village."

"Oh, that's our Itachi-kun," Ba-san stated, thankfully refraining from pinching his cheeks. It was an unfortunate habit that most of his older female relatives enjoyed performing. Turning to move on to the next booth on his list, Itachi was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "Now, don't you go just yet. Wait here. I'll be right back."

Itachi stared absentmindedly at the different lengths of cloth as he reflected on the last few days. The merchants, the civilian sector of the Uchiha clan, had always been his favorite. They were all kind, warm-hearted individuals that didn't dwell over how many new jutsus he'd created. They didn't agonize about war and fighting. They just laughed and loved and sold their wares to the benefit of the clan.

He thoroughly enjoyed speaking with his jovial relatives. As distantly related as they all were, they were still family. It was the one and only aspect of being the clan heir that he actually enjoyed as he truly looked forward to every opportunity that he'd have to just relax and address the issues that plagued the simple merchant class of his family.

Turning back to Ba-san as she re-entered the room, he noted the length of cloth in her hands. Sighing, he prepared himself to reject another gift. He would have humbly enjoyed accepting the gifts they offered him, if they didn't _all_ want to give him something. He could not carry every gift home, and he could not pick and choose among those gifts given. Who was _he_ to determine one graciously bestowed gift unworthy among the hundreds offered him?

"Now, Itachi-kun, this is the finest length of silk this side of the Land of Fire, hand dyed the beautiful radiant colors of our nation and hand stitched with the finest thread in the area…"

"Thank you Ba-san, however, I cannot accept your gracious offer," Itachi interrupted before she could finish her sales pitch and thrust the cloth into his hands.

"Nonsense Itachi-kun, take it. And don't feel guilty, I'm not giving this for you to use," Ba-san replied as she placed the fabric in his hands.

Confused, Itachi's next protest died on his lips. Instead, he addressed the more pressing issue. "Ba-san, if this isn't for me, then why must I take it?" he asked, absentmindedly folding the fabric, storing it in a seal on his flak jacket.

"Oh, a handsome, strong boy like you _must_ have a pretty young girl you fancy." Blushing at the statement, Itachi was too embarrassed to correct her assumption. He wasn't seeing anyone. At least, he wasn't seeing anyone he could ever take home to his parents. "Now, you go take this fabric down to Katsu-kun and have him fashion this into a nice kimono for your girl. And no protests, you can always have it tailored when you get back to the village."

"Ba-san, will you at least allow me to pay for this? A gift such as this is worth far too much to be given away so freely," he replied once he'd regain control of the burning color of his face. He really would hate for her to give him this beautiful fabric just for it to go to waste which he knew that it would.

"How about I give you a little more fabric so you can have old Katsu-kun make you a matching kimono? I'll let you pay for the extra since I don't think I can convince you otherwise."

"Thank you Ba-san, that is an acceptable compromise," he replied as he fished out his kitten shaped wallet. Sasuke-kun had given it to him years ago well before his little brother realized that his older brother might not want everyone to know that he liked cute things. He'd been silently thankful at the time because he really did like it, and it wasn't something he could ever be seen buying for himself. No, Otou-san would be furious if he ever tried. Taking out nearly twice what he thought the cloth was worth, Itachi set the money on the counter before Ba-san returned with the additional fabric.

"Here you go Itachi-kun. Now, make sure you send this old woman a picture of you with your young lady in your new kimonos," she said as she handed over the fabric.

"Of course, Ba-san, I shall send you the first photograph the moment these kimonos are worn," he replied, knowing that it wasn't likely to happen. Slipping out of the shop, Itachi headed for the next booth on his list before Ba-san noticed how much he'd left her.

Itachi had no plans to visit Katsu-jisan. He'd already talked to the old man and heard every issue he was currently facing. There was really no need for him to go back. Of course that didn't explain why he was now currently standing in front of the familiar shop hours after he'd left Nukumi-basan's shop. It was near the end of the work day, and he'd finished the last shop on his list a little over fifteen minutes ago. He should be heading back to the hotel to wait for his team so that they could eat dinner together, a habit that they had formed since the first night they'd stayed in the capital. But instead, he found himself pushing aside the fabric covering the entrance to Katsu-jisan's shop.

"Oi, Itachi-kun, I was just about to close up. What can I do for you?" Ji-san asked as he turned to look at him.

Itachi was at a loss for words. What _was_ he doing here? Unconsciously, his hands reached for the seal on his flak jacket, releasing the fabric in one smooth motion.

"Oh, so you're actually going to have kimonos made." At Itachi's questioning look, Ji-san clarified his statement. "Nukumi-chan sent a message over here to warn me. Well, threaten is probably the better term. I'm not to charge you full price because apparently _someone_ gave her too much for the fabric," he continued with a pointed look. Itachi had not anticipated Ba-san's persistence. She was far more relentless than any of the other relatives that he'd talked to thus far on this trip.

Itachi gave the old man a curt nod. He still wasn't sure why he was doing this, but he was here. There was no reason to back out now.

"Well, get over here young man. Let's take your measurements," Ji-san commanded jovially. Itachi allowed his eyes to wonder the shop as Ji-san took his measurements. Despite the fact that he rarely had an opportunity to wear a kimono, he was well versed in having his measurements taken for a tailored fit. Wondering eyes fell on to a row of stuffed animals, stopping at one unusually large toy in particular. The grey fur of the stuffed dog was reminiscent of another set of dogs that he'd become rather familiar with as of late.

"Now, give me the general figures for your young lady," Ji-san asked once he'd jotted down the last measurement.

"I'm sorry Ji-san, but there really isn't a young lady in the picture," Itachi replied as he tore his eyes away from the stuffed animal.

"Oh, don't give me that bullshit. You wouldn't be here if you didn't have a young lady in mind. Now hurry up, I need to close up shop before someone else walks in here."

Ji-san's statement forced a blush to Itachi's face as his eyes flicked back to the stuffed dog. Thinking of Hana-chan, Itachi quietly listed her general measurements, the uncontrollable burn never leaving his face.

"You're a rather observant young man," Ji-san chuckled lightly as he scribbled down the last measurements. "That was _far_ more detailed than I'd anticipated," he teased, causing the blush to burn redder on Itachi's face. His knowledge of Hana-chan _was_ rather intimate. He only hoped that Ji-san didn't comment further on how he knew all of that. "Now, you come back tomorrow evening. I'm going to put a rush on this so you can take it back with you when you leave. Mind you, you're going to have to have both kimonos tailored in Konoha."

"Thank you Ji-san," he replied, giving up on trying to control his blush. Turning to leave, his eyes flickered back to the stuffed dog. Shifting back to the old man, he internally shrugged. He'd already gone this far, he might as well go all the way. "I do have one more request."

"What do you need Itachi-kun?" Ji-san asked without looking up, still busy scribbling down specifics for the requested kimonos.

"Do you have two more of that stuffed dog?"

"Sure, you don't mind that they all look like this one do you?" Ji-san questioned as he pointed in the toy animal's direction.

"No, that is more than acceptable."

"Give me a second and I'll grab the other two," the old man replied as he rose from his seat.

"Of course, Ji-san." Itachi sighed after the old man left the room. He really didn't know what he was doing anymore.

* * *

Kenji stood stiffly behind the Yotsugi-dono, trying his hardest not to allow his nervousness to shine through. These last few days had been…enlightening. He'd probably gained more insight into true diplomacy over the last couple of days silently watching the Yotsugi-dono construct the new contract, then he had in the three years he'd observed and assisted Jirou-sensei.

Despite the Yotsugi-dono's youth, she had a way of approaching this contract renegotiation that was above reproach. Taking in each and every detail, Yotsugi-dono meticulously poured over all relevant materials in a way that Jirou-sensei had never valued. No matter how obscure or seemingly useless a piece of information was, the Yotsugi-dono looked into it, addressing it as if it were a key piece to the puzzle which in and of itself was unusual. Jirou-sensei had never treated contracts like a puzzle needing to be solved. Tradition dictated how Jirou-sensei went about each contract. There was already a set way of doing things and according to Sensei, all he needed to do was learn the rules.

However, that wasn't the way the Yotsugi-dono operated. She didn't rely on tradition to dictate her actions. She charged forward with her own way of approaching the contract. Yotsugi-dono used logic and innovation. Skills that far surpassed those associated with her age. She was intriguing and admiral and Kenji couldn't help but want to approach problems in a similar fashion.

Perhaps there was a way to merge the two teachings. Jirou-sensei's technique had made the man renowned for his contract negotiations after all. Sensei was known throughout all of the Land of Fire as the top contract negotiator. He was good, but all the little side deals that were tradition in this field left a bad taste in Kenji's mouth. There was something to be said about the Yotsugi-dono's stoicism. She got the job done without making concessions but Kenji wasn't entirely sure that her approach was perfect either. They would be making a huge risk on this gamble of a contract she'd developed, and he couldn't wait to see how this would play out.

"Hisakawa-san, I do hope your time in the capital has been productive." The Yotsugi-dono's opening statement was the first time Kenji had ever heard her utter an unnecessary sentence. Always direct, he'd assumed that the Yotsugi-dono distasted pleasantries. Perhaps that was a luxury reserved for diplomats.

"Hai, it has Koushi-dono, and hopefully, today, we will make this trip even more productive," Hisakawa-san greeted jovially as he sat down. His attention focused solely on Yotsugi-dono. Of course Kenji was used to being nearly invisible in a room so he was unbothered by this development. He'd quickly learned that being unseen had its advantages.

"Shall we begin?" Cool and reserved as Kenji had become accustomed to seeing, the Yotsugi-dono started the meeting. Despite the fact that he'd spent the better part of the week observing the Yotsugi-dono, he was still surprised that she could command a room without moving. Her very presence commanded rooms. If he could only achieve a fraction of that presence, then he would be a true force at the negotiator's table.

"Of course," Hisakawa-san consented easily with a nod. He looked briefly at the empty place in front of him, confusion coloring his eyes. Kenji couldn't really blame him. Tradition dictated that the proposed contract be placed in front of them, however, there was nothing traditional about this renegotiation. Kenji could easily imagine the seething rant running though Jirou-sensei's head.

He had been incredibly vocal in his distaste for the Yotsugi-dono's methods. Despite how rude such statements could be seen, the Yotsugi-dono had not reacted negatively to Sensei's protests. It had left Kenji wondering if the Yotsugi-dono appreciated such strength of character to not be completely cowed in her presence or if she was simply too controlled to openly react. He supposed it was probably a bit of both.

"Hisakawa-san, I have taken the time to go over your proposed additions. Unfortunately, I have found them lacking," Yotsugi-dono stated simply, not bothering to sugarcoat her opposable declaration.

"How so Koushi-dono? My company has been the Hyuuga vendor for silk and lavender for more than thirty years. The proposed increases are well within the expected realm for a company as loyal as my own," Hisakawa-san stated calmly, and Kenji noted Jirou-sensei's minute nod.

"That may be true, however, current market values do not justify the expense for the existing prices we pay your company. It would be unacceptable to increase these prices." The Yotsugi-dono's logic was sound, but Jirou-sensei had always taught him that contracts were more than just logic. They were about people and people were rarely ruled by logic. Kenji only hoped that the Yotsugi-dono would be able to play to Hisakawa-san's emotions.

"So you expect me to keep the prices as they are? There is little incentive for me to continue to sale to the Hyuuga clan with a contract like this." Though Hisakawa-san made no outward change in his appearance, Kenji could read the minute differences in his eyes. His instructors had once praised the detail he could gain from just a look even without his doujutsu activated.

It was not the same as reading an opponent's moves like all Hyuuga were taught to do. No, he could read emotions, intentions. It allowed him to anticipate the choices people were likely to make. And as Kenji gazed into Hisakawa-san's eyes, he saw anger boiling just below the surface. This man in front of them was seconds away from exploding.

"No, I do not expect you to maintain the current price levels. I expect you to lower your current prices to five percent below market value," Yotsugi-dono stated calmly. Her voice was almost empty, lacking all inflection as she spoke the words that Kenji was sure would send Hisakawa-san over the edge.

"That is an outrageous request!" the merchant yelled, nearly rising from his seat. Again, Kenji could see the hint of agreement shining though in Jirou-sensei's stance. Jirou-sensei might not trust the Yotsugi-dono's judgment, but Kenji refused to follow the man's example. He'd watched the Yotsugi-dono work for the past few days without casting judgment. She was more than the child that Jirou-sensei saw her as. She was strong and unwavering. Despite the distance she'd seemed to place between herself and the world around her, even her own teammates, Kenji believed in her.

"No, outrageous would be the Hyuuga clan switching vendors. I can assure you should the Hyuuga clan decide to start a bidding war over this contract, we will easily be able to find a vendor to replace you. I can also assure you that the price we'll be able to obtain will be far below the market value," Yotsugi-dono countered easily, her voice the same ever constant cadence. Her control was so perfect, Kenji doubted there was a situation out there that could ever make her break it.

"You may attempt to replace me, but _no_ vendor provides the same quality of silk and lavender as my own!" Hisakawa-san nearly screamed, this time rising from his seat.

"Hai that is why I am offering you the first chance at this new contract. That is also why I have not reduced the price by more than five percent. The Hyuuga clan values your services and as such we will provide you with the best offer." Kenji's eyes trailed Hisakawa-san's form, noting the small changes. Defeated. He looked defeated, a state that would only hinder further relations. Even so, Kenji was sure that the Yotsugi-dono would not leave the man here in this state.

"This is still an outrageous request, however, I cannot deny your logic. If you were to make this a bidding war, then five percent below market value would be an unreachable dream," Hisakawa-san conceded as expected. "I will accept your terms," he finished with a sigh as he fell back down into his seat, shoulders hunched.

"That is for the best," Yotsugi-dono nodded briefly a sign that must have been pre-rehearsed as her Inuzuka teammate moved forward to place the finished contract on the table. "As a sign of good faith, the Hyuuga clan would like to extend another offer," she continued as Inuzuka-san pushed the thick set of pages towards Hisakawa-san.

"I'm listening," Hisakawa-san stated flatly, not bothering to look though the contract. Clearly, he anticipated more bad news.

"It has not escaped our attention that the quality of your leather has improved. As such we shall begin the process of procuring leather from your company. In this current contract, we start be acquiring ten percent of the Hyuuga clan's leather needs from your company which will gradually increase by five percent every year for the next five years at which point you will be required to re-negotiate your contract," the Yotsugi-dono began, not missing a beat as her teammates shifted beside her. Inuzuka-san's small ninken companion yipping at his side.

"Again, we will be purchasing your leather at five percent below the market value, the price to be set and fixed at the beginning of each new year," Yotsugi-dono finished her explanation. The bright look that returned to Hisakawa-san's eyes brought Kenji hope. In front of them was no longer a defeated man. This was a grateful man as this new addition would likely bring him greater wealth and prestige.

"Koushi-dono, this is a very gracious offer. Please forgive my earlier outrage as you are far more gracious then I had originally thought," Hisakawa-san thanked and apologized to the Yotsugi-dono all at once. Clearly, the Yotsugi-dono had won over the man's opinion.

"There is no need to apologize. This contract is in the interest of the Hyuuga clan, and having your company as our primary vendor serves our interests the best," Yotsugi-dono responded, stroking Hisakawa-san's ego in the process. Kenji was in awe at her negotiation skills. Briefly he wondered if the Yotsugi-dono's skill in diplomacy was the result of the high breeding of the First Family or if it was a skill well learned. Could he learn to incorporate her techniques into his own?

Kenji watched silently as Hisakawa-san skimmed quickly over the contract in front of him. His head nodding every once and a while as he read. Jirou-sensei was just barely containing his fury as he stood in his corner. If this contract had gone south, then Sensei would have been validated on his method. However, that hadn't happened. Though Kenji couldn't say that the Yotsugi-dono's method was perfect, he now had proof that Jirou-sensei's method wasn't the only way to approach contract negotiation. Tradition could be broken. 'Perhaps it should. Maybe it's time to break away from tradition,' Kenji thought as he watched Hisakawa-san sign the new contract with a small smile on his face.

* * *

_Pop, pop, pop._

Fire crackers popped in the background as Kiba stared in awe at the raging festival surrounding Team Eight. With the Hyuuga contract completed and nothing else left on their to-do list until dinner with the Fire Daimyo later tonight, a prospect that he was still reeling over, Kiba gladly slept in this morning. So, this was the first time he'd been out of their hotel room today. Apparently he'd missed all of the festival preparations because the party was already in full swing.

"Did you guys know there'd be a festival today?" Kiba asked his team, not expecting an answer as they continued on their way. It was well past noon so they'd originally left the hotel to get lunch together, but upon stumbling out the door, they'd stumbled upon _this_.

"Matte, what are they even _celebrating_? Do they have special holiday's I don't know about?" he continued to question as he looked around. Typically, you could tell what festival it was by the decorations, but all he saw were images of the Hyuuga clan symbol and Hinata-sama everywhere…wait. "Is this festival for _you_?!" Kiba asked as he turned to his female teammate, Akamaru just barely hanging on to the top of his head.

The rhythmic beat of taiko drummers sounded in the distance, the accompanied dance troupe likely dancing with fire if the burst of flames in the horizon were anything to go by. "So it would appear," Hinata-sama stated simply as they continued forward.

'Damn,' Kiba thought as they passed a vender who looked up at them briefly before returning to his wares only for his head to snap back to them. Kiba was sure the old man would have rushed them if he could have gotten from behind his counter fast enough.

The hotel manager had said that it was a holiday today. Kiba had just assumed these Capital folks like their celebrations. He couldn't have possibly imagined that the Daimyo had declared it a holiday just because his teammate was in the city. Kiba stared wearily at Hinata-sama. 'Maybe Naruto-kun was right about that Princess thing,' he thought as they finally reached the restaurant they'd been looking for. It was closed, but the moment the owner saw them, he'd rushed to seat them in the empty restaurant. On the patio, so they would have a good view of the festivities.

Yeah, he couldn't really imagine another reason for the five star treatment. He was going to have dinner with the _Fire Daimyo_ for kami-sama's sake. He briefly wondered if he should start calling her the Princess of Konoha too. 'Nah,' he thought as the owner brought their food out personally. That just seemed _too_ dramatic. He'd leave that for Naruto-kun. He was already so good at it anyway. Either way, he could _really_ get used to this type of treatment.

* * *

**KJ's Culture Corner**

_(1) Haori, kimonos part 2_. So, if you're not sure by now, I'm here to tell you that yes, Hinata is wearing something completely different from the anime. Long hair and a kimono including a haori jacket. If you need a visual, then the Hinata's outfit looks very similar to the Bleach captains' kimonos. (Yes, you can replace the squad numbers with Hinata's title.) But wait KJ, I don't watch (or read) that awesome anime Bleach! That's okay, neither does BloodRed13. (More like neither _will_, no matter how many times me and our older brother tell BloodRed13 how good it is… *sigh*) If you're bored then you can just google bleach captains.

_(2) [BloodRed13] Chengdu hot pot._ Okay so hot pots aren't really a Japanese thing, not a problem because our Naruto world incorporates both Chinese and Japanese aspects into it. So Chengdu hot pot is a real thing and the way that Hinata eats it is really how it's done (note: I've unfortunately never had Chengdu hot pot because I've never been to China, sad day, but I have done some research).

So what is Chengdu hot pot? Well, it comes from the Chengdu reason of China, although you can also get it in some of the really big cities. And it is basically fondue only with boiling hot oil. Like fondue, you get an assortment of items, mostly meats and you stick it in the pot to cook. Near the end of the meal the waiters will serve you some type of starch so don't expect to get rice until the very end, unless you ask.

There are more types of hot pots than just Chengdu, but Chengdu is considered the type any tourist must try when visiting China. On that note, there is actually a Japanese version of the dish however that is not what Team Eight is eating. (Note: the restaurant used in this chapter is a real Chinese restaurant. Again, though we've never been, it does come highly recommended, hailed as the best Chengdu hot pot restaurant in China.

_(3) Go and shogi._ Both of these board games are two player strategy games. Shogi (also known as Japanese chess) is very similar to chess except with a couple of extra pieces (the lances, no queen but two gold and silver generals), and some of the rules are different (i.e. Pieces can be promoted). (One of my chess buddies learned to play it, but haven't gotten around to having a game with me.) So, if you love chess, then this will be just as enjoyable. _Go,_ on the other hand, originated from China and no rules or pieces have been adapted or altered. Although the rules are simple, I find this game more complicated. (Although I've only been playing _go_ for a handful of years, so…) In addition, _go_ can be played with a handicap (something I've never heard about in chess or shogi). This handicap is what Jirou was talking about.

**AN:** So you also may have noticed the Hotel they stayed in sounded like a real one like the restaurant. Well you were right. Fun fact, we used a shorten version of a real hotel in China. I thought it would be a cool thing to do. Hoped you liked it.


	12. My First C

**AN:** Howdy, hope you're all have a great start to the week. So do address a rather pressing question we've been getting. Yes, this will be a Naruto/Hinata romantic pairing story, however, it will not happen right away. We are attempting to write the most organic transition for the Naruto Universe we have created which unfortunately means a slow progression for our favorite couple. It also means that it will take a few more chapters (about eight) before our next Naruto/Hinata interaction. As we're writing that chapter now, you can trust me that the wait will be worth it. Anyway, as always follow this story on tumblr (the link is in my profile). Now, on with the show.

**PS** - We still own nothing. Also thanks for all the reviews, whether it's kind or not we appreciate each one.

**PPS** - Now for the new list of Japanese words. (I'm actually starting to forget which words we've already defined, so sorry if there are some repeats.)

_Denshi jisho_

Karaoke – sing along to music (see culture corner for more info)

Hontou ni – really? Or truthfully?

Konichiwa – good afternoon

Taiyaki – fish-shaped cake with fillings (common is red bean paste) (see culture corner for more info)

Nattou – fermented soybeans (see culture corner for more info)

Itadakimasu – phase used before eating a meal (not sure if this was defined before, also see culture corner for more info)

Kirigakure – hidden in the mist

Kiri - mist

* * *

_**Arc – C Ranks**_

_Chapter Nine – My First C_

"… It was pretty entertaining. Who knew Asuma had such a lovely voice?" Kakashi laughed at the memory of a drunk Asuma serenading his friends in a round of karaoke. "If only Itachi-kun had been able to come too, then I might have invited all of the younger guys as well. Now, that would have made the night complete. Just imagine Obito-kun, a drunk Itachi-kun singing along to that new pop star's music and an equally drunk Anko-kun groping _everyone_ in her near vicinity." Kakashi laughed again, this time hard enough to scatter the animals around his feet.

"Gai-kun did make up for it though. Actually, he isn't half as bad drunk, downright entertaining even. You'd have enjoyed it Obito-kun, you were always one for a good time." Kakashi paused as he stared off into the distance, lost in thought of years long past. "I nearly asked Gai to take on Naruto-kun for a few taijutsu lessons, but then I remembered how he'd take it as a win and I just couldn't give him that kind of victory."

"No, no. Don't get me wrong, if Naruto-kun absolutely needed the lessons, then I'd have done whatever I had to do to get them for him. But the kid's doing fine. His fuuinjutsu, mostly self-taught no less, is at Chuunin level minimum, and when you add in what he can do with the kage bunshin no jutsu it makes him a formidable opponent."

Kakashi sighed heavily. "It's just his taijutsu is so poor, really worst then that. I don't know how it's even possible for him to have _not_ managed to pick even a little of the academy version of taijutsu up. He was there for _six_ years. Nevertheless, on pure taijutsu skill alone, even Sakura-san is leaps and bounds ahead of Naruto-kun, and you know what I've said about Sakura-san."

Kakashi put his hands up in surrender. "Yeah, I know. She's really turned over a new leaf, which is also why I'm in no rush to force Naruto-kun to really learn taijutsu. Still, you'd think one of my many attempts would get him to focus on it if only a little bit. But no. No matter _what_ I say, _how_ I say it, or _how many_ exercises I put in his training scroll, he's just not interested in improving his taijutsu. You know what he is interested in, Obito-kun? _Fuuinjutsu_. He'd rather work on _any_ type fuuinjutsu than some basic taijutsu exercises."

"What am I going to do Obito-kun? Naruto-kun can't become Hokage with piss poor taijutsu skills, _even if_ he's the world's leading master at fuuinjutsu…" There was a long moment as Kakashi was lost in his own thoughts. Hokages long past haunted his dreams, and here he was seriously considering Naruto's dream for the future. If he truly wanted Koushi-sama's attention, then he'd have to become Hokage. Not even his parentage would help him there. "The kid's got some lofty goals, Obito-kun. Marriage to the Koushi-sama. No, he didn't quite say it that way, but I can read between the lines. I'm sure that's what he meant. The kid's as naïve as they come."

"No, Obito don't look at me that way. I tried to educate him just like you would have, but he didn't appreciate the copy of _Icha Icha Firsts_ I got him. Burned it right in front of me. _Burned _it Obito-kun!" Kakashi shook his head in disappointment. "What is Konoha coming to when a preteen boy doesn't understand the hidden gem that is Jiraiya-sama's mastery of poise? How does he expect to learn these things? How!? His intentions with the Koushi-sama be _damned_. He needs this kind of information. But no, he _burns_ a perfectly good copy of _Icha Icha Paradise_ without even _reading_ it. He didn't crack one page open. Not _one_ page!"

"I'm just glad I didn't give him the limited edition version." Kakashi shivered at the image. "I've been deactivating seals on my own copies of _Icha Icha Paradise_ for weeks now. Weeks! He'll go several days without any sneak attacks, and then, _bam_, I've nearly lost a signed special edition. You know what I had to _do_ to get it!" Kakashi murmured heatedly under his breath at the near tragedy still recent on his mind.

"I can't believe I'm even saying this, but I miss my nagging sessions with Itachi-kun." Kakashi sighed heavily. "He's got a more innocent view that might be helpful with Naruto-kun. At least he'll be back soon. From the forward report, it sounds like his team's mission went off without a hitch, which is always good for a first time out. It wouldn't have done Itachi-kun or any new Sensei any good to lose a student on their first C rank mission. I can only hope that my team will have similar luck in that department."

"Yeah, it's time. In skill, they could have done a mission weeks ago. However, now their teamwork is at a place I'm comfortable with. I'll have to remember to buy Itachi-kun a drink for his advice. Those Uchiha seem to respect power more than anything else. But you knew that already didn't you?" Kakashi paused as if waiting for a response before he continued. "Better yet, Sasuke-san's treatment of Sakura-san has improved Sakura-san's treatment of Naruto-kun. Maybe the team dynamic isn't exactly where I want it to be, but its close. Besides, I wouldn't want to fall too far behind Itachi-kun."

The sun shone on the dark stone flashing its light in Kakashi's face. It was time to go to his team meeting. It was time to get their first C.

* * *

Naruto's concentration was at its max. The seal he was working on wasn't just any seal. It was a combination of five different seals layered together using his own personal inks to create a distinct layered pattern.

Ever since Sasuke had rubbed it in his face that he couldn't catch Tora on his own, Naruto had needed to prove him and Sensei wrong. But that meant perfecting a seal he'd never thought possible. It was one thing to do a complex illusion of living animals like the prank he'd pulled on Shino, but this… He still feared for the unnecessary destruction of life if this didn't work like it was supposed to.

The clone he had working with him handed him the next ink. It was nearly done. Just one more layer, and he'd link the seals together. He'd done this several days ago with only two layers to create an impressive exploding kunai. It had taken him a couple of days after developing the two layered seal to improve his calculations. A step he'd wanted to take before he'd even begun to really test the more complicated layering seal so that it would be easier to replicate. After all, master pranking rule number forty-two stated to spend more time on the prep work if it would make the actual pranking easier.

His new two layered seal added an illusion to his already impressive explosive kunai, it transformed one kunai into ten kunai when thrown. Well, it gave the illusion of ten kunai. It wasn't likely to fool Sensei, but not much got by a Jounin as Naruto was starting to figure out. But that was beside the point. The point was that it _had_ worked. Now came the much harder practical use of the layering system. Making a living container to seal away that devil cat.

Ever inventive Naruto had used the bases of his previous calculations to create his draft. Now was time to see it in action. Making a gentle stroke to finish off the last portion of the layered seal, he sat back as his clone drew the familiar Uzumaki seal in the middle. He could hear another softly talking to himself as he recorded ever moment.

Turning, Naruto glanced back at his last clone. He was solely responsible for making sure he wasn't late, or rather later than Kakashi-sensei, to his team meeting. Currently, he was fast asleep which unfortunately happened more often than Naruto cared to admit. At least he seemed to somehow be maintaining the chakra control exercise he'd been instructed to do in an attempt to keep the clone awake.

Suddenly as if sensing he should be awake said clone's eyes immediately popped open. Scanning the newly purchased clock resting on his bedside table, his clone found he'd managed to not oversleep and completely blotched his one and only purpose like some of the clones before him. Satisfied that they still had plenty of time, he settled back into his seat to wait.

"Done boss."

"Good." Naruto replied without turning back around. He'd been able to add the Uzumaki seal perfectly for some time now, so there really was no need to double check his clones work. What he could do, his clones could do. "Oi, you. Yeah, you clone number three."

The sleepy clone stood to attention. "What's up, chief?"

Naruto smiled darkly at the lazy clone. "You've just been volunteered."

His eyes grew wide as he realized what his summoner meant by that statement. "Nani? Come _on_ boss, why don't you use him." He pointed to the recording clone. "Or him!" He pointed to the clone opposite the original.

"They weren't sleeping on the job." The clone huffed at his reply before moving to the center of the seal.

"If you'd giving them this boring job, they would have," he murmured as he took his place.

Naruto ignored him. It really was a toss-up whether or not his clones could stay awake while watching the clock. No, he needed to concentrate on this seal. If this went wrong, it wouldn't just be the clone who suffered. Naruto had learned the hard way that he received his clone's memories when they dispelled, which of course made him hesitate to summon large groups at a time like he'd first done. Still, maybe the large groups could lessen the mental strain, because he sure hadn't noticed the memory thing until he'd only summoned a few clones at a time.

Shrugging Naruto took a deep breath, he was only putting off the inevitable. Placing chakra in the seal one layer at a time, he watched as the clone glowed red as he was wrapped in the seal before disappearing completely. In preparation for a new flood of memories he was sure would be painful, Naruto winced. Fortunately, none came.

"Yatta!"

"It worked! It worked!"

Naruto sighed in relief as he released his clone from the seal. He seemed no worse for wear just a little shaky. Looking over at the clock, it was only a quarter past eleven. That gave him plenty of time. "Alright guys pack up. I'm going to shower and get ready for the team meeting."

"Sure thing boss."

"Good man, clone three."

"What was it like?"

The clones began their own discussion as they picked up after themselves. It was an impressive achievement. It was, but… He should have been able to do it with one seal. If you can do it with five, then a _true_ master of fuuinjutsu could have designed a single seal for the same purpose. But he couldn't. He just wasn't there yet. And that frustrated him to no end. Hyuuga-hime was leaps and bounds ahead of him, and all he could do was combined seals. He needed to be the best! And he _would_ be, believe it!

His mood was pretty glum when he arrived at the team meeting place. Sasuke and Sakura were talking about some genjutsu or some similar subject that was in their training scroll. Sakura had been going out of her way to learn as many genjutsu as she could which included stealing, well _learning_, the genjutsu in Sasuke's training scroll as well. Naruto was glad for Sakura, but otherwise didn't give one flying flip about genjutsu, or _taijutsu_ for that matter. What did he need taijutsu for when he was super awesome with fuuinjutsu?

Kakashi-sensei just didn't understand. He needed to be a master at _fuuinjutsu_ before he started working on anything else including his taijutsu. Besides, his taijutsu wasn't _that_ bad.

"Hey dope."

"What is it temee?"

"You think you could add that multiple illusion seal to my kunai? I want to practice with it."

Naruto grunted before gesturing for Sasuke to give him his kunai.

"Can you do mine too? Or maybe just teach it to me?"

"Ha! You're kidding right. You think you can learn how to do fuuinjutsu in fifteen minutes?" Naruto replied as he got out his supplies.

"No, Baka. I just want to know how to do the one seal. It's really useful."

"Yeah, and so is the storage seal and the explosion seal, but that doesn't change the fact that you don't just learn _one_ seal," Naruto murmured to himself. "This seal in particular isn't just one seal, but two imbedded within each other. Which means you need different inks, different chakra application, and different stroke styles to connect them. Since it's so complicated, I didn't even bother added the second seal, because you wouldn't know how to activate it."

"Dope, it can't be that hard if _you_ did it. We both have excellent chakra control."

"No, you both have _good_ chakra control. Maybe Sakura's is even great, but not _excellent_," Naruto replied as he finished the last of the seals on Sasuke's kunai. "As it is, the only way I'd trust you could use _this_ seal if I pre-activate it."

"Wait, how is pre-activation any different than adding a second seal?"

"Pre-activation isn't a seal!" Naruto fumed. Did they understand nothing he did? "I add a binder to the seal, so that only a certain amount of chakra can get through. Which is what I do for all my fast acting seals. "

Sakura laid out her kunai so Naruto could set to work on them. "Well then, why not just pre-activate the explosive version of this seal?" Sakura inquired.

'Why not just make it one seal too?' Naruto thought bitterly, but instead he replied, "I haven't figured out how to bind it at two different chakra levels yet. Not to mention when you have the two seals on two different chakra initiation patterns, they've got to be linked. Currently, I've got them single action, which means no extra steps to the pre-activation chakra binder. To link two different seals, I'd have to connect the two seals along with having two different chakra binders that release in the correct order, which depends heavily on the chakra patterns of the two seals."

Naruto left out the part about the calculations required to determine which ink would be needed to create the link to the two seals in the first place. Altogether, it was going to take him another all-nighter to add a pre-activation to the layered seals. He'd want to figure out a quick formula too, so he wouldn't have to do the full calculations each time. 'I wonder if my clones could do that…'

"Good to see you guys coming together so early in the morning."

"It's noon, Sensei. That's hardly morning by anyone's standards," Sakura replied automatically, but otherwise didn't pay any attention to their Sensei. By now it was just a habit for Sakura to complain about their Sensei's tardiness.

"Alright. Here you go Sakura. Same thing as Sasuke's kunai."

The walk to the Hokage tower was filled with light chatter as Sakura asked Kakashi-sensei questions about some technique in her training scroll that she didn't quite understand. Naruto only half paid attention to their conversation. He wasn't all that good at genjutsu and couldn't really follow the majority of the problem, which didn't bother him. He had a much bigger problem on his mind. 'What equation would work best for the connection?' Now that Sasuke and Sakura were showing interest, he found he wanted to give his teammates seals they could use to better themselves.

If he could have just written the seal in one ink, he wouldn't have to worry about the math he'd never thought he'd actively seek out until now. But it would be far simpler to do the calculations then try to figure out how to combine the two seals into one. Pranking rule number thirty-three, always go with the simpler plan.

"Try not to hurt yourself thinking so hard, dope."

"Ha. Ha. Ha." Naruto replied to the temee laughing dryly as they walked into the Hokage's mission's office.

"Naruto-kun, I hope you're taking this seriously," Iruka-sensei chastised disapprovingly.

"You should see how serious I am chasing dogs."

"Naruto…"

"I think we do have a dog walking mission if that's what you're looking for Naruto-kun," Jiji spoke.

Naruto sighed heavily as he traded looks with his team. It could be worse and his shrug said as much. Sasuke and Sakura nodded their agreement.

Naruto was about to take the mission, when Kakashi-sensei spoke. "Actually Hokage-sama, I believe it's time for a C rank mission."

"Nani?" Sakura questioned.

"Really Sensei? Hontou ni?" Naruto asked excitement in his eyes. Sasuke remained silent but couldn't stop the smug look from lighting his face.

"Hai. I'd have asked for one earlier, but your teamwork has only just gotten to the point where I thought we were ready. Although, it's still not where I want it. Perhaps we should wait…"

"No. _No_. Sensei, we're ready. Right Sasuke, Sakura."

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei. We're ready," Sasuke responded immediately.

Turning to Sakura, the only member of their trio still silent, Naruto caught the determined look shining in her eyes. "Absolutely Kakashi-sensei. Bring it!" she declared enthusiastically.

Kakashi-sensei chuckled at their reactions with a smile in his one visible eye. "This isn't a laughing matter. This is serious, Kakashi-senpai," Iruka-sensei replied and Naruto could have strangled him where he sat.

"They're ready, Iruka-san, Hokage-sama."

"Alright, then. We just got one in that I was going to give to a couple of Chuunin, but it should do for a starter C rank. Tazuna-san please come out."

* * *

"That Tazuna seems like a real bastard. But at least we have a C rank. _Finally_." While it didn't happen often, on this point, Sasuke would have to agree with the dope. It was great to have a C rank, even if their client looked like a perpetual drunk. "We must be the first of the rookie nine to get a C rank. I can't wait to rub it in Kiba-kun's face."

Sasuke snorted at that. "Inuzuka-san would than rub it back in _your_ face," Sasuke countered offhandedly. He'd had more than enough time to come to terms with not being the first of the rookie nine to receive a C rank.

"What are you talking about temee?" Naruto questioned with a warning tone in his voice.

"Ani took his team on their first C rank last week. They should be getting back soon, in fact."

"Well, dang. That means Hyuuga-hime is still a head of me," Naruto muttered the last part to himself, clearly not meaning for anyone else to hear him though Sasuke had.

Sasuke shook his head. He just didn't get the dope's obsession with the Koushi-sama. The Princess of Konoha this and the Princess of Konoha that. It wasn't like _he_ had a problem with Koushi-sama unlike most Uchiha. He'd never seen her fight, but he'd heard about her skill from a couple of his other clansmen who had Hyuuga on their teams.

If even just a fraction of what they'd said was true, then she was powerful. No questions about it. And he could respect that type of power, but with the way that the dope went on about her. Now that was _really _starting to get annoying. There wasn't _any_ possible way in _hell_ that the dope had a chance with the Hyuuga heir. Even _if_, by some miracle he did become Hokage, it wouldn't improve his chances. Sasuke was just about to give his daily reminder about the dope's nonexistent chances with Koushi-sama when Sakura interrupted him.

"I'm surprised you aren't more upset that Team Eight received a C rank mission before us, Sasuke-kun," Sakura stated inquisitively. Naruto was lost in his own world still muttering to himself ahead of them. For anyone else, that would mean he wasn't paying any attention to his surroundings, but not the dope. If he didn't have a clone nearby in addition to his already extraordinary spatial awareness, then Sasuke would take Sakura on a date.

"Team Eight has the Koushi-sama along with two decent supporting ninja. I'd have been more surprised if _we_ received the C rank mission before them," Sasuke shot back quickly, not bothering to look at his female teammate.

"Oh," Sakura replied softly. While she was getting better and taking her ninja training seriously these days that didn't erase the facts. If she'd done that from the start, _they_ might have beat Team Eight to the first C rank mission among the rookie nine. He did not want her to forget that either.

"Kakashi-sensei said to prepare for the mission, so I'm out of here." Naruto puffed out with little more warning then his words.

Again, though he was loathed to admit it, the dope was right. It was time to prepare for his first C rank mission. Sasuke gave a slight nod in Sakura's direction before switching places with a nearby log. Some might have seen his replacement as a similar stunt to the dope's, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. That idiot actually had random clones out there roaming the area just for the sole purpose of replacement. Only kami-sama knew how many clones were just wandering around wreaking havoc. Sasuke wasn't wasteful of his chakra. Not to mention _he_ actually made that exit look good.

So, maybe he couldn't figure out how a Genin like the dope had enough chakra to do his older brother's signature jutsu. A signature move that he _still_ refused to teach him. And so what if he couldn't figure out how he managed to summon so many clones that he could use them to make an exit. What mattered was that the technique he was currently using was the closest thing to the shunshin that his brother also refused to teach him.

Even without his older brother's help Sasuke was getting pretty good at the substitute. He was already to the point where he could replace himself with a very thin stick. Soon enough it would be leaves, while Naruto would still be using clones. So no, he wasn't copying the dope. Who would want to copy the dead last?

Sasuke stopped his pondering as he came upon the entrance to the Uchiha Compound. Snug in the middle of the Uchiha district the heavy, oaken gates stood proud amongst the village shops surrounding it. Sasuke smirked with pride at the sight before him. The only other clan compound large enough to be completely enclosed was the Hyuuga Compound, and one day even the Uchiha Compound would grow larger than those pompous popsicles.

As he crossed the threshold, the gates were already swung open in welcome invitation for non-clansmen to journey within the confines in direct opposition to the Hyuuga's perpetually closed gates. The bustle of the Compound's energy mixed with the afternoon buzz of the numerous shops littering the Uchiha district. The Uchiha Compound market place was just as large and active as the rest of the Uchiha district resting just outside of the gates. He loved the warm sounds, the familiar environment surrounding him as colorful memories of a life well lived within these walls assaulted him.

This was the best part of Konoha, the Uchiha Compound. It was a village within a village. Flower shops, street vendors, weapon shops littering the streets, each shop owner shouting greetings and sales from the always open doors of their establishments. Colorful streamers and lantern highlighted whatever shop was near it. The festive colors eagerly inviting patrons into their confines. Small Uchiha children ran around playing. Their laughter filling the air, mingling with the voices of the merchants and the songs of musicians on the streets as they played.

"Sasuke-nii, Sasuke-nii. Play with us."

"Yeah, play with us." Many of the children called to him, a familiar call that he was loathed to deny.

"Not today, little ones," he responded regrettably. He would need to make his way to see his father as soon as possible.

"Ah man." But soon the little Uchiha were on their way to find some other form of entertainment. They were resourceful like many of the members of their proud clan.

"Sasuke-kun! You're done early. That Sensei of yours treating you right?" Ikumi-basan questioned harshly as she called Sasuke over to her booth.

"Konichiwa Ba-san. We've been assigned a C rank mission. I've been released early to prepare."

"C rank!?" Ba-san beamed at him. "Knew you were going to get one soon. Just knew it! Our little Sasuke-kun training long and hard to become the rookie of the year and now you're readying for your first C. You bring great honor to our clan. Here, here. Take some taiyaki to celebrate. Go on, Sasuke-kun. Fugaku-sama will want to hear this!"

Finally released from her presence, Sasuke continued on, however, he didn't make it very far before other members of his family called him over in greeting.

"A C rank mission already," Ji-san said before pushing his yakitori into Sasuke's hands. "Here, take this. Celebrate! I told old Katoru that this would happen. Now off with you. Fugaku-sama will want to hear the good news too."

Sasuke hurried forward, eating slowly so as to have an excuse to not take any more food. While Ji-san had the best yakitori this side of the Fire Nation, the same could not be said for his cousin Tonbou who would have pushed more food into his mouth despite his full hands if they weren't in the middle of the street.

Shop hopping had been fun when he was younger and trying to fill up before an important dinner where he was almost guaranteed to eat the worst food imaginable. No matter what Kaa-san claimed, Sasuke just couldn't see what was so good about the _fancy_ food. He didn't really care if that was the type of crap the Hyuuga ate on a regular. In fact when he was younger, he would have sworn up and down that it was that tasteless crap that made the Hyuuga so prickly. That and nattou. Sasuke shivered at the memory of his mother trying to make him force _that_ down. Food shouldn't _smell_ or _look_ like that, ever. Now, he just knew that was just the way there were.

Continuing on, Sasuke managed to make it another couple of yards before he was pulled into another shop. "Oi, Sasuke-kun, heard about the good news. Take one of my new tents to celebrate," his cousin Kogai called out with a good natured slap to his back. One look at the overly large three compartment tent had Sasuke frowning.

"Gomen Kogai-nii. I can't take something like that on a mission."

"What? Why not?"

"It's way too big to travel with," Sasuke answered truthfully before a grin lit his face. "Plus, I don't fancy myself your walking advertisement board. Go get Taki-nee to promote your wares."

"Oi, get out of here, you knucklehead."

Happy to comply, Sasuke ducked out of the store and continued on towards the main house. His journey continued, constantly interrupted as family members called out to him.

"Knew you'd get a C rank soon, Sasuke-kun!" and "Way to go, Sasuke-kun!" were heard as he pasted various shops and booths. The familiar chatter a welcome warmth as he made his way across the Compound. By now, he was familiar enough with the speed of the Compound's gossip chain for their knowledge of his new mission to not surprise him. The Uchiha were a tight knit family. There were few secrets between clansmen.

It wasn't until he'd made it to his part of the Compound when the noise decreased. It had always amazed him how the Compound could be so _alive_ in one section, but tranquil in the next. He was sure that had more to do with his father than the clan as a whole.

Knocking on his father's open door, he waited for him to look up at him. "I hope this is important."

"Otou-san, I've come to inform you about my upcoming mission. We've been given a C rank mission to guard a traveler to Wave."

"Huh. Is that all?" His father snorted, his eye returning to the papers on his desk. "So, you're finally getting a C rank mission," he continued, shuffling documents until he'd apparently found the right one. "It's about time, although Itachi has already taken his team on a C rank. I suppose I can't expect more from you given your talents, your team, and your _Sensei_," his father sneered the word, signing documents as he spoke. "As if our position within the village wasn't insult enough," he muttered darkly, talking more to himself than to Sasuke still standing in front of him.

Sasuke waited in silence a moment longer before he turned away. Apparently, his father had said all he was going to say.

It wasn't until Sasuke was fully packed that his mother found him.

"I've heard that the pride and joy of the Uchiha clan has received his first C rank mission."

"Ani's received countless C ranks, Kaa-san."

With the grace of a noble woman, she moved to sit on his bed next to him. Her arm wrapping tightly around him as she hugged him to her side. "Oh, honey. Don't you _ever_ think for a moment that you're not the pride of this clan just as much as your brother. You both give this clan great honor. Itachi-kun finally taking on a team and you becoming a Genin, rookie of your year no less. I'm very proud of you."

"Otou-san was disappointed it took me this long to get a C rank."

"Your father is proud of you too. He's just not that good at showing it." Sasuke looked down. His mother said this often, but it was hard to believe when he saw the man so easily lavish praise upon his first born. "No, Sasuke look at me." He turned his dark eyes on eyes that mirrored his own. "You father isn't disappointed with your progress. It's your _Sensei, _he and everyone else in the clan dislike." His mother spat the title Sensei. Sasuke didn't know why, but no one except for ani liked Kakashi-sensei in his clan.

"Why?"

"Huh?"

"Why doesn't Otou-san like Kakashi-sensei? He's ani's senpai, and ani speaks highly of his skills." His mother paused to look at him, really look as if she were judging if he was ready for this information. Sasuke sat up straighter, his gaze locked firmly with her own dark eyes, never wavering. He wasn't a kid anymore. He was a shinobi of the leaf. He could handle any information she had to give.

"Hatake is a Sharingan user. He obtained his eye during an accident and _claims _it was given to him. Even so, he should not have that eye. Nor use it the way he does. Furthermore, he has not asked for forgiveness from the clan for how he obtained the eye. It is a…"

"Slight to the clan?"

"An insult to every Uchiha that could not activate their doujutsu. It should not be outside of the clan. For the Hokage to have chosen _him_ for your Sensei," she paused to gather her thoughts. "For that _man_ to be given the honor of training an Uchiha, it frustrates your father in a way I hope you can never understand." The venom in her words surprised him. He'd never heard his sweet, kind mother talk in such a way about another person. Her clear disdain made Sasuke rethink his opinion of his Sensei.

"Why didn't Kakashi-sensei just join the Uchiha clan?" If his Sensei were an Uchiha, then it wouldn't be such a big insult and maybe his father could look at him with the same pride he showed ani. Just maybe.

His mother sighed before rubbing his back as she got up to leave. "The world is a complicated place. Made even more complicated when the wars of men are involved. You'll learn that soon enough, but hopefully not today."

* * *

Iruka sat himself down in the familiar ramen stand. He'd told Naruto-kun to meet him here at 1700 which should have given him enough time to pack his things, but Iruka had prepared a lecture on responsibility just in case. For as long as he'd known him, Naruto-kun had the habit of losing himself in some seal or another, forgetting about the rest of the world altogether. That single-mindedness was probably why he'd gotten so good at the art of sealing in such a short time. However, it was also the reason why despite his increased work ethic, his grades hadn't really improved during his time at the Academy.

Sighing as he sunk further into his stool, Iruka signal for two bowls of the house special. It was always best to have ramen waiting on Naruto-kun. Despite how much he tried, he just couldn't find a way to teach Naruto-kun the value of patience. If it wasn't fuuinjutsu and it wasn't pranking, then Naruto-kun just didn't know how to wait for it.

"Oi, Iruka-sensei, how's it going?" Naruto-kun greeted as he plopped down in the seat next to the tired man.

"As good as can be expected," Iruka replied as he sunk further into his seat, the weight of a long day, a long couple of weeks if he was being honest, finally catching up to him.

"What do you mean? I thought it was the off season for the Academy," Naruto questioned before his eyes caught the heavenly sight of ramen being brought out to them. Iruka smiled at the sight. No matter how much it cost him, he would always do what he could to keep that smile on Naruto-kun's face.

"Well, it is, but this year Konoha is hosting the Chuunin Exams so everyone's a bit busy," he replied as he took his own bowl, muttering a quick 'itadakimasu' before digging in, just a tad more reserved then his blond counterpart. What could he say? He loved ramen almost as much as Naruto-kun.

"Oi that must be tough. You know considering you work at the Hokage's mission's office too. I still don't understand why you have so many jobs," Naruto-kun said between mouthfuls, already halfway through his own bowl. Looking up, Iruka caught the eyes of the old restaurant owner to signal another bowl for Naruto. He'd just gotten paid, he could afford to splurge on extra bowls of ramen.

"Well, how else do you expect me to pay for your ramen addiction?" Iruka teased, rubbing a hand though Naruto's spiky blond hair.

"Hey! I'm not addicted," Naruto-kun complained as he pushed away Iruka's hand. "I just have a healthy appreciation for the best meal ever created!"

"Yeah, whatever, you knucklehead. So did you finish packing?" Iruka asked after taking another couple of mouthfuls of his own ramen.

"Of course I have, I've got it all here," Naruto-kun answered with a light pat to his jacket pocket. Clearly indicating that he'd sealed all of his items away.

"Really now? Did you remember to pack a few spare changes of cloths?" Iruka grilled as he watched Naruto finish his bowl, a momentary frown lining his face until the next one was placed before him.

"Hai, Iruka-sensei," he answered before digging in to his next bowl.

"Did you remember to pack your fire starting kit?" Iruka asked as he signal for two more bowls. He was in the mood to really enjoy his ramen. There really weren't enough people in the village that appreciated his love of the food. He figured, he should live it up now, while he was in the company of someone who would look at him weird if he didn't eat more than one bowl instead of that being the other way around.

"Hai, Iruka-sensei," Naruto-kun chimed in again around a mouthful of noodles.

"Did you remember to pack your basic first aid kit?" Iruka continued to ask. He was more than prepared to go through the whole packing list if he had to, just to make sure Naruto-kun had everything he needed.

"Hai, Iruka-sensei. _And_ I remembered my cooking set, some extra food, an extra set of kunai _and_ shuriken, my trap setting kit, extra ninja wire, extra seal writing materials, my traveling tent and Mr. Froggie night-hat. I got everything I could possibly ever need. You don't need to worry so much," Naruto-kun replied, clearly annoyed about the continuous questions.

"I'm just making sure you didn't forget anything. This is serious business, going on a C rank mission," Iruka defended. He couldn't help it if he worried. As far as he was concerned, it was his _job_ to worry. After all, Naruto-kun was like the little brother he'd always wished he'd had. He wasn't sure if he'd be okay if anything ever happened to him.

"I know, I know," Naruto-kun waved off as he returned his attention to his meal, attacking the new bowl of ramen placed in front of the both of them with a renewed vigor.

"No Naruto, I'm not sure that you do. When you leave those gates anything could happen. Being a ninja is a dangerous job. There are never any guarantees that you'll make it back to those gates," Iruka spoke solemnly as he ate his bowl of ramen at a more sedated pace. He didn't want to ruin the jovial mood, but he also wouldn't let Naruto-kun leave the village without knowing the truth of the world. The life of a shinobi wasn't an easy one.

"Well, that might be true for some ninja, but not me! This is my first chance to show the world what I can do! This is my first step towards showing everyone why the Princess of Konoha is _my_ best friend! And to do that I'll always make it back! And that's a promise! Believe it!" Naruto declared loudly before diving right back into his bowl finishing off faster than any of his two previous bowls.

"Ah, Naruto-kun. When you say it like that I actually believe that's a promise you can keep," Iruka replied with a smile as he quickly rubbed the top of Naruto's head.

"Of course it's a promise I'm going to keep! I'm Uzumaki Naruto and I _never_ break a promise! _Believe it_!" Naruto-kun boasted, jumping up to stand on top of his stool. "Now for more ramen! Come on load me up, old man! I'm going to be gone for at least a week!" he announced loudly while waving his empty bowl.

Laughing, Iruka nodded to the old man behind the bar. "Of course, another bowl of ramen for my little friend here," he laughed as he went back to eating, dodging Naruto's wayward chopsticks as he tried to steal from his bowl. "Hey! Get your own!"

"I would, but mine's not ready yet!"

"Well, too bad!" Iruka laughed. Maybe he was worrying for no reason. Naruto-kun would be fine.

* * *

Piercing green eyes stared back at her as she stood over her bathroom sink. Her eyes were resolute, fierce in a way she'd never seen before. A confidence she hadn't known could exist filled her as she stared back at her reflection in the mirror, determined.

She _should_ have looked more tired. Her reflection revealing the hours of sleep she'd missed the previous night due to the emotional mess she'd been by the end of the day. Equal parts excitement and apprehension for the day to come, she had tossed and turned all night unable to fall asleep until the very early hours of the morning. She should have looked haggard and worn, but instead, the image reflected back at her was that of the driven woman she now knew could take on the world.

Today would be like no other day before it. It would be a test of her skills, the new abilities that she'd worked so hard for, and she could _not_ fail. This was her chance to prove to herself that she was capable, more than capable, to be a strong kunoichi of Konohagakure. Her drive to be a ninja might have started out as something to gain Sasuke-kun's notice, but that was no longer the case. _This_ mission, their first C rank mission, would prove that she _had_ changed.

So, she'd made sure she was ready for this day. Yesterday, Sakura had spent the better part of the day packing for this mission. Taking her time to go to the library, both the public and the shinobi libraries, to research the weather patterns, local fauna and flora in Wave, along with anything else she thought might be helpful. She'd even checked out a couple of scrolls on the economics and social policies of the country so that she could read up on the history of the country before they arrived. With that information in hand, she had packed accordingly. Mentally cataloging her gear, she was sure she had everything she'd need for their mission to Wave.

Determined to continue on her current path of change, Sakura thought over the last couple of weeks. Ever since her conversation with Itachi-san, she had made a conscious effort to push herself harder than she ever had in regards to her training. Staying hours after practice to work on her training scroll exercises and spending extra time in each Konoha library to strengthen her working knowledge over each new skill.

As a result, she'd been able to draw Sasuke-kun into conversation. Finding topics that he was actually willing to talk about with her, they had both benefited from they're growing interactions. And the stronger she became the more he paid attention. It wouldn't be long now before she could convince him to join her for lunch. They would be able to discuss different types of genjutsu or even the best way to increases the overall strength in her taijutsu.

But the changes that she'd made were more than that. They were more than her getting to spend time with Sasuke-kun and more than her improving her skills. Her new training gave her a confidence that she'd sorely been missing in her life. It kept her pushing her limits in a way that the thought of Sasuke-kun never could have.

Still, Sakura couldn't help how she felt about Sasuke-kun. To have him appreciate her, talking with her and working together on their team exercises, she couldn't be happier. Itachi-san had been right about strong women and Uchihas. So right in fact, that now with their first C rank mission she felt it was time for one more change.

Sakura moved her scissors to her hair and paused. She'd debated for weeks now, ever since Itachi-kun had mentioned it, about cutting her hair. She'd nearly gone to have it cut yesterday, but hadn't been able to walk in the salon. Her hair was… Well, her hair was something she'd grown out to protect herself. Back when the bullies had been too much, and Ino had been one of her best and most fierce protectors. Now though, as green determined eyes stared back at her, Sakura _knew_ she was strong enough to protect herself. Strong enough even to protect her teammates.

_Snip_. Pink strands of hair fell to the bathroom floor. _Snip. _The second cut was easier. _Snip, Snip, Snip_. Scissors moving quickly in her hands, Sakura had only just started when she heard the door to her bathroom open.

"Sakura, I've been calling you for… _Kami-sama_. What are you _doing_ to your beautiful hair?"

Sakura pulled back, moving the hand holding her scissors out of her mother's reach. "Kaa-san, I told you I was going on an important and possibly dangerous mission. I don't want my hair to be caught or used against me."

"Missions? No,_ you_ don't have to tell me about the danger. Danger you don't have to put yourself through."

"Kaa-san…"

"No, Sakura let me finish. You're never home at a reasonable hour anymore. And when you _do_ come back, you're bruised and cut and bleeding, _everywhere_. I've never seen you this exhausted. Of course it wouldn't be quite so bad if it didn't feel like it was _all_ of the time. And do you want to know the worst part of all of this is? It's _why_ you put yourself through _all_ this, all the danger and hardship. You do all of _this_ for your _father's_ approval!" Despite the passion in her voice, when her Kaa-san reached for her, her touch was as gentle as it had always been. "Dear, I don't _care_ how much honor you bring this family. I just want you to be _safe_ and _happy_."

Sakura piercing gaze met her mother's gentle expression. "Kaa-san. I'm not doing this for papa. I _want_ to be a ninja. I train to get stronger, so that when I do go out on missions like these I can protect myself _and_ my team. And right now, my team needs me to be as strong as I can."

"And that means… cutting your hair?"

"Hai," Sakura stated, an unwavering steel lining her voice.

"Give me the scissors."

"What, but…"

"Give them to me Sakura." Always the obedient child, Sakura had never disobeyed her parents. Not even now, when her convictions were _this_ strong, so reluctantly, she gave her Kaa-san the scissors. "I'll not have my daughter butchering her hair. No, if it must be cut, and you couldn't have gotten it done at a salon." Sakura blushed at that. "Then I believe I'll just have to make sure you don't leave this house looking like a hoodlum. We wouldn't want any foreigners to think poorly on the Haruno family, now would we?"

Sakura turned around to let her mother finish cutting her hair short. Pink strands falling all around her as their eyes met briefly in the reflection of the mirror. Pride and worry filled eyes so similar to her own staring back at her. 'No, that wouldn't do at all.'

Sakura made it to the bridge some thirty minutes later. Her goodbyes had gone about as well as she could have expected, better really. Her father had told her how proud he was, tears in his eyes that he'd no problem letting fall. That was her papa. A kind sweet-hearted man, who loved her with all of his heart. Now, there was no turning back. She was going to charge full speed ahead to become the best. For herself, just as much as anyone else. She was ready for this step.

Sasuke-kun arrived not long after her, but Sakura wasn't in the mood to try to coax conversation out of him. They were leaving the village today; she needed to be mentally ready for that. It was only as Naruto was arriving, only five minutes late which given his normal tardiness Sakura was going to call a win, when Sasuke spoke to her.

"Nice hair. It should be good for battle."

Sakura was stunned into silence so much so that not even her inner voice had a response. With Naruto there, she didn't think she should say anything either. They were leaving the village. This wasn't some game. So, Sakura just nodded in his direction before returning her focus on the information she'd been able to absorb about Wave country beforehand. She'd rather be reading her other scrolls, but that would have to wait for a later time.

Some ten minutes after Naruto had arrived, the solemn air surrounding the team was interrupted as Kakashi-sensei and their very drunk client approached them.

"Well, what do you know? You shrimps look like you might actually be able to protect me."

"I believe we're ready then."

"Hai," Sakura replied to their Sensei, completely ignoring their rude client. Ever a man of few words, Sasuke-kun simply gave a swift nod in agreement before following.

"Yoshi! Let's get a move on, Sensei!" Naruto yelled excitedly, mildly disturbing Sakura in the process. She had completely forgotten that he could be that loud this early in the morning.

Together, they walked through the massive main gate of Konoha. Now, this mission was real. Naruto moved immediately into alpha formation settling in the middle while leaving Sasuke-kun and herself to flank him and the client. A slight hand sign and Sakura knew that his clones were roaming the forest ahead. Naruto would let them now if he found anything, of that she had no doubt. For her part, Sakura kept her eyes on her side of the forest. Although it was a simple C rank escort mission to Wave, it was always possible a bandit could get passed Naruto's clones, even if it was a slim possibility.

However, two hours of walking and everything was uneventful. That was until Sasuke-kun signed a warning. Glancing over, Sakura spotted the innocent looking puddle. A puddle in an area that hadn't rained in the past three days. Naruto nodded his head slightly in response. He'd give away their awareness of the oddity if he summoned anymore clones, which meant they were on their own for this.

As calmly as if no one had seen the misplaced puddle, they all walked passed it. Waiting. No sooner than when Kakashi-sensei had passed the puddle did two ninjas reveal themselves. They went straight for Kakashi-sensei wrapping their chain around him and ripping him apart.

"One down." One of the ninja replied.

They were fools if they thought they'd killed Kakashi-sensei. Sakura had seen Sensei shredded apart like that so many times in training when the three of them (especially Naruto) sparred against him that she was untroubled by the sight now. No, the fact that they thought they'd killed him meant the ninja couldn't be better than Chuunin level. Chuunin who didn't realized that the Genin before them had backup in the form of a Jounin.

Sasuke and Naruto spread out from their position leaving Sakura to protect Tazuna. First step, immobilization. With a quick flick of her hand, Sakura sent her kunai flying to the quickly approaching duo followed shortly by another. The first kunai turned into ten pushing the chained pair back with the illusion and straight into the path of her second kunai. Her aim was true pinning the metal chain into a tree and stopping the foreign ninja's progress momentarily.

A loud click and their gauntlets snapped free of the connecting chain still pinned to the tree. Without pause they ran towards her directly through the path of her two teammates. A mistake, they would be unable to repeat. Naruto released two seals simultaneously while he deflected the gauntlet strike letting the ninja to her right passed him. The ninja took two more steps before his large gauntlet was blown to pieces, taking the ninja's arm with it.

"AHHHHHHHH!"

"Otouto!"

While Naruto tied down the injured ninja, Sasuke-kun used his brother's momentary distraction to knock him out with a few well-placed kicks and punches.

"Good job team," Kakashi-sensei replied out of the shadows. Sakura kept her position next to Tazuna while Naruto bound the other ninja with one of his seals, Sasuke-kun looking on in the process.

"Did you see what you were looking for, Kakashi-sensei?" Sasuke-kun inquired.

"Hai, actually I did." Sensei turned his visible eye on their client. There was anger there like Sakura had never seen before. "Tazuna-san, I believe we need to talk."

Tazuna spit on the ground nervously. "Ah what do you mean?"

"Those ninja look like Kirigakure shinobi. Kirigakure missing-nin. Ani says all Kirigakure ninja continue fighting no matter what." Sasuke pointed to the ninja missing one arm as he continued to struggle against his bounds. It was useless as Naruto's seals were nearly impossible to break.

"How'd you brats read our movements?"

"It hasn't rained in days," Sakura replied. "That puddle couldn't even fool Naruto."

"Hey!"

The Kiri-nin missing an arm started laughing hysterically. His brother soon followed. "Who would have thought that Konohagakure had gotten so weak to send out three Chuunin and a Jounin?"

"Chuunin? These brats are my Genin," Kakashi-sensei replied easily. Sakura couldn't help but stand a little taller. They'd done well, but…

"They weren't after us were they Kakashi-sensei?" Sakura asked.

"No, Sakura-san." Kakashi-sensei turned to look at Tazuna accusingly. "Naruto-kun, please tell your clones we're going back to the village."

"Matte, nani?!" Naruto replied. "We can't go back to the village now! We haven't finished the mission."

"It's protocol dope," Sasuke-kun replied, an edge to his voice. "These ninja were looking for our client, which makes this a B rank mission at least. Our mission is to protect against thieves or gangs, not shinobi."

He was right. They'd have to go back otherwise they'd be operating outside of their duties. Sakura looked back at the ninja tied to the tree. They'd done so well too. Sakura hung her head in sadness as she moved to follow Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei back the way they'd come.

"Don't look so glum guys. We can always get another mission tomorrow." Tazuna looked down in sadness, but said nothing in reply.

"No," Naruto spoke softly. "We did _not_ train as hard or as long, through pain and through sweat for _this_! Kakashi-sensei didn't train us to turn back on a mission just because it gets a little hard! We cannot give up here!"

"I'm sorry Naruto-kun, but that's not how it works. We don't know what we're really facing. I can't put you guys in jeopardy."

"No Sensei, Naruto's right. We can't stop here. I'm ready for this. _We're_ ready for this."

Sasuke-kun nodded in agreement. "We can handle this," he replied confidently as he glanced at her then Naruto.

"Yeah! And I swear no matter _who_ we face, we won't back down from this mission. _I_ will protect the old man like he was the Princess of Konoha!" Naruto swore passionately.

Sakura chuckled softly at the end of Naruto's speech. Naruto always knew just what to say. And he was right. They could do this. Sakura caught Sasuke-kun's eyes and they nodded in agreement. They _would_ do this.

"Well, I guess it's settled. Team Seven's continuing this mission," Kakashi-sensei spoke, his one good eye turning up in a smile. Sakura smiled. Wave wouldn't know what hit them.

* * *

**KJ's Culture Corner**

(1) _Karaoke_. So, Karaoke in Japan is a really big thing, and it should be as it actually comes from _Japan_. So, when I say it's a big thing, I mean it's a _big_ _thing_. There are Karaoke bars all over Japan, and it's common for groups of friends to go out to a Karaoke bar like Americans go out to regular bars. In the Karaoke bars, you can get booths so you're only embarrassing yourself in front of your friends. Or you can just bite the bullet and sing in front of everyone. Either way, Karaoke bars are a fun time.

(2) _What the heck is Nattou_? I still shiver at the thought of the lingering smell of the stuff. So, let me put it plainly. Nattou looks like snot, and smell horrible. But it's really good for you. And my Sensei swears you get used to it. *Shiver* Nattou is a breakfast food made from soybean (fermented soybeans). And despite the fact that it smells, looks, and tastes horrible, it is still eaten quite often (not everyone mind you but often enough for me to be surprised) in Japan. (Fun fact: nattou is something Hinata and most Hyuugas would have grown up eating.)

(3) _Itadakimasu and gochisousama deshita._ These are both honorifics used when eating. Itadakimasu is used before eating, and it pretty much a polite way of taking food (means I humbly receive using the highest form of honorifics). Gochisousama deshita is said after a meal to thank someone for preparing the food (deshita is past tense of desu). This is also very polite. You'll notice that we only use itadakimasu. This is mostly because we haven't actually seen a whole meal. So, to put it simply, there really hasn't been a time for you to see our characters use it.

(4) _Foods thus far._ Taiyaki, yakitori, ramen, dango, onigiri, and nattou. These are all of the foods that have been mentioned thus far in Princess of Konoha. So let's recap since not everyone's a Japanese culture fanatic like me. Taiyaki is a fish-shaped cake commonly filled with red bean paste sweetened with azuki beans. (I've only had the red bean paste taiyaki, but I can say they are delicious.) Yakitori is fried chicken (but not Kentucky fried). It's more grilled then fried from an American point of view. Onigiri are rice balls that can be filled with loads of different things (including red bean paste ;p). Dango are sweet dumplings made from mochiko (a sweet rice flour). Ramen… well, I'm not going to insult you guys with and answer. Finally nattou (see above).


	13. Interlude III

Disclaimer: We still own nothing...now enjoy

* * *

Interlude III: (Pranking) Training Session

_Part Two: Six Months after getting Scroll from Jiji _

Naruto had spent two weeks after _Operation Epic Pervert Firework Sign _laying low. For whatever reason the Hyuuga Police had increased their tail of him. He could barely manage to make it to the old man's ramen shop without being harassed, questioned over what his plans were for the day or simply just taken in to the nearest Hyuuga Tower. As it was, they'd managed to accost him at least twice a day for a week straight. And to make matter's worse, they'd also have the flimsiest of excuses.

_We wouldn't want you to be late to class, Uzumaki-san._

_This is a dangerous area, Uzumaki-san, let us escort you through._

_We've had a few complaints in the area. Just checking to see if you're okay._

Yeah, he didn't buy any of that malarkey. He was ten, almost eleven. He knew when he was being had. Plus, no one needed to be in class _that_ much.

It really was a shame. He couldn't so much as open a window without getting questioned about his intentions, much less try to jump out of it to escape the everlasting boredom that was his Konoha classroom. As it was, he'd had to stay in class just to avoid an unnecessary trip to the closest Hyuuga Tower.

Naruto wasn't actually sure of the last time he'd spent so much uninterrupted time in the classroom. Maybe back in the beginning, when he'd still had hope that the Senseis were all good people and really would teach him what he needed to learn. But that kind of thinking hadn't lasted long. And he'd soon realize that he'd learn a heck of a lot more trolling the streets then sitting in a crowded classroom being ignored.

Internally shrugging, Naruto continued with his mental prep list. The Hyuuga Police may have done a great job of keeping him in class, bored to tears more times than not, but _he'd _have the last laugh. Yeah, he'd be the only one laughing when they realized he'd spent that time confined to his classroom devising his next prank. So, instead of listening to Sensei's boring, practically useless lecture, he'd been calculating, drafting, and planning until he'd come up with the perfect prank. He was going to hit the Hokage Mountain.

Now sure, he'd pranked that monument loads of times. It was basically his signature move because really no one else could perfectly match the Shodaime's hair with the Yondaime's eyes. He was the best. Unfortunately, he had also always gotten caught doing it too. But that was the genus of his latest scheme. This time he wasn't getting caught. He'd make sure of it. Because how could he fail? Not when he'd just created the most awesomest fireworks seal ever.

So, Naruto had the plan down. It was simple. All he'd need to do was replace the black powder with paint and he'd be able to make awesome designs on the old Hokage's faces within seconds. The hardest part would be to re-write the timing seal to go off at a specific time instead of with a specific weight. And he didn't think that would be too difficult.

It was a foolproof plan with only simple changes to completed seals, nothing could go wrong. And the best part was when he managed to finish these seals, he'd never get caught again!

Of course, then the inevitable happened. The seal caught on fire during _Super Ninja Notes part 61: Paint Seal_. So, he'd been forced to go back to the drawing board.

Apparently, it wouldn't be quite as simple as he'd assumed to execute. But that was fine, he was always up for the challenge. It wasn't like the two weeks he'd been cooped up in his classroom scheming and planning had been for naught.

At least _one_ good thing had come from his re-envisioned paint seal and that was his latest timing seal. He'd discovered while working on the two seals that it was far easier to create a countdown for his seal then to give it a specific time. Delays he could do. After all, he'd basically proven that with the inner mechanics of his fireworks seal. So in the end, it _was_ a good thing. Maybe not _perfect_ as it would require him to have an airtight alibi, but definitely a good thing.

Of course it really was a shame, he didn't have more time to work on that particular seal. He could already see the type of fun he could have if he could just set the seal to go off at a specific time. But he had more important things to worry about and as master pranking rule number thirty-two stated: don't waste time trying to improve a working plan. It'll only distract you from perfecting the hard stuff. And right now, his timing seal _worked_ while the actual prank part of his plan didn't.

So, Naruto spent the next six weeks trying to get it right. His first thought was that his chakra control wasn't good enough to handle it. After all, he could only have his seals blow up in his face so many times before that became blaringly obvious. So, in typical Naruto style, he moved on to the next exercise on his list. Tree walking. He'd originally thought that it would be a piece of cake. After all, he could already put multiple rocks and leaves on different places of his body. That had to count for something.

Unfortunately, after the first day of just falling on his rear, he'd discovered the truth. Tree walking was a _lot_ harder than it seemed. And with the Hyuuga Police still on his tail, and Jiji's not so subtle threat to take his training scroll away if he missed anymore class, Naruto couldn't just focus on learning the exercise all day every day until he got it right.

So, the process was long. At nearly four weeks of his time, it was _much_ longer than he thought it really needed to be. If only Jiji understood that he'd get far more training done outside of the classroom than in it, but that was neither here nor there. The important thing was that he was able to beast that technique with his awesome skills. Refusing to give up no matter how long it took him, he now flaunted the technique whenever he could.

Of course could you blame him? It was just way too cool to be able to just causally walk up and down a tree. He really couldn't think of a way he could be even more awesome. Yeah, he was sure his Princess would be impressed.

And of course he hadn't spent that entire month doing nothing but the limited amount of time he'd spent learning the tree walking exercise. No, he'd also set his sights on figuring out his paint seal problem from a mathematical point of view. Well, he'd _tried_. There was really only so much he could do with the limited amount of trigonometry he'd managed to pick up in the few weeks he'd been researching it. Unfortunately, that did _not_ include anything on, what was the word again, viscity… voscasity… viscosity? Yeah, _viscosity_.

And yeah, he _could_ have spent more time puzzling it out, but time was of the essence. Studying was really only supposed to be a last result. And there was just something telling him that it was going to take him a heck of a lot more time to figure out this calculus thing then he currently had.

So here he was. Without an actual modification of his awesome explosive seal, because that had really been more trouble than it was worth. Of course, he still had a plan. He hadn't worked two straight weeks for nothing. No, Naruto never gave up. It just wasn't in his nature. Instead, he'd put that modification on the back burner and turned back to the drawing board.

If he couldn't explode paint all over the monument with his fireworks seal, then there had to be another way. A way to carry the paint and spread the paint without him needing to be there to supervise. In the end, he'd settled on using the first seal he'd ever learned, the storage seal, as his base. After all, it already did _one_ of the jobs he needed done.

Now, all that was left was to figure out how to get the seal to expel the paint instead of just releasing it. For that he turned back to his fireworks seal. Maybe if he added small explosions, delayed, he could get the desired pattern to spread across the Hokage Mountain.

With those thoughts in mind, Naruto had set to work. Using trial and error and a little bit of the math he'd already acquired, he was finally able to come up with this. His newly invented ejection seal. It has the storage capacity of a storage seal, but also a limited expulsion capacity taken from the fireworks seal. And when he tagged the seal together with his special time release seal and aligned the paint canisters like he'd aligned the colored gun powder of his fireworks seal then he had a perfectly working seal. Well, almost perfect. At least he was now basically an expert at creating delays within his seals. That had to count for something.

So that brought him back to the here and now as he stealthily snuck from the Academy bathroom during his lunch period, well, the end of said lunch period to be exact. He'd run a dry run of this prank three days ago just to make sure he had the timing right. He'd only get one shot of this.

Of course, this was the easy part. Sneaking past the Chuunin guards at the monument had ceased to be difficult years ago. Why Jiji even bothered, Naruto would never know. After all, it all seemed kind of pointless if they couldn't stop _him_. He was the only reason the monument needed to be guarded in the first place.

"Super Ninja Notes part 96: Operation Redecoration of the Hokage Mountain," he whispered into his recorder as he moved to set up his seal. It would need to be right in the center, if he wanted to show off the full effect.

His latest seal in place, Naruto glanced up at the sun, noting its position in the sky. Now was the hard part, getting back to the Academy without running into the Hyuuga Police.

With a nod and one last check to ensure he hadn't left anything, Naruto was off, running his preplanned escape route. Without slowing, he navigated the streets like the pro he was, avoiding the guards and policemen with ease. It really did help when you pre-mapped their traditional routes.

Finally, less than a minute later, he burst through the same bathroom window he'd previously left through. Steadying himself on the door, Naruto quickly regained control over his breathing before stepping foot outside the room and heading back to his classroom.

Opening the classroom door just as Sensei steps back up to his podium, Naruto sighed in relief as he trudged back to his seat. He had an alibi to maintain after all. He couldn't make it look like he actually _wanted_ to be here.

Ten minutes later and Naruto was thoroughly bored. Maybe he should start constructing his next prank. 'You know what would be totally awesome…' his thoughts began only to be interrupted by the door.

"Excuse us Sensei, however, is Uzumaki-san here?" Hyuuga-san questioned upon entering the classroom.

'Finally,' Naruto thought as he turned his attention to the practiced words he'd prepared.

"Hai, of course, Uzumaki…" Sensei began clearly ready to send him away without even bothering to hear the charges. Thankfully, he never got the chance to finish that sentence.

"What's the dope done this time?" Sasuke questioned, his arrogant voice loud among the mostly silent classroom.

Now normally, Naruto dislike the other boy with a passion, he was rather moody and detached and Naruto just couldn't see where he had a right to be that way. But right now, he could have kissed him. After all, he'd given Naruto the opening he'd needed to get out of this mess.

"I'll have you know I was sitting here the whole time," Naruto protested, just like he'd rehearsed. Hopefully, this would work just like he'd anticipated.

"You are wanted for questioning," Hyuuga-san replied, ignoring Naruto's plea of innocence. Of course that was to be expected. They'd stopped taking his word at face value years ago.

Not moving an inch, Naruto charged forward with his pre-rehearsed defense. "Yeah, well, what's the charge? You can't take me in for nothing. I know my rights!" he finished, sitting back in his seat, arms moving to cross in front of him.

"You are being charged with defacing public property," Hyuuga-san stated, his partner moving forward in what Naruto recognized as their normal tactic to attempting to capture him. Typically they liked to try to box him in. It was a technique that worked best if they had at least four people. With only the two of them, Naruto was sure if this went south, he'd still be able to make a run for it.

"Yeah, like what?" he questioned, stalling for time. If only he could get Hyuuga-san to stick his foot in his mouth.

Smirking at the hesitant pause, Naruto waited patiently for Hyuuga-san to say the magic words. "…the Hokage Mountain."

Wiping the smirk from his face, he allowed disbelief to fill his voice. "Nani? When would I have time to do that?" he questioned before continuing with what he was sure would be pure gold. "I was eating lunch with Kiba-kun, Shikamaru and Choji the whole time."

'Man, I should go into acting,' Naruto thought as he watch Hyuuga-san turn to the individuals in questioned. "Is this true?" the man asked. How he knew exactly who Naruto was talking about was beyond him, but definitely _not_ his problem.

"Yeah, Naruto's good, but he's not _that _good. There no way he could have painted the Hokage Mountain in less than ten minutes," Kiba-kun replied of handedly, clearly bored with the drama in the classroom.

"And he was with you the whole time, every second," Hyuuga-san pushed, looking for any reason to bring Naruto in. Naruto could have sworn these guys got a reward just for bring him in to a Tower with the persistence they showed.

"Well, he went to the bathroom for like three minutes. But dude, what can anyone do in three minutes?" Kiba-kun finished. It was perfect. Now there was no way they could bring him in. Not in front of all these witnesses. If Kiba-kun wasn't already his second best friend then he certainly was now.

Leaning back in his chair, Naruto watched Hyuuga-san and his partner exit the room completely empty handed. Smirking, there was nothing like a successful prank to brighten any day.


	14. Chasing Dreams

**AN:** So here we are, another chapter down many more to go. Firstly we'd like to thank both _Musubi Kazesaru (Icha Icha)_ and a rather helpful guest reviewer for pointing out some of our inaccuracies. They have since been fixed thanks to these helpful reviewers.

So, there have been some questions about pairings and I thought I'd better clear that up for anyone opposed to certain ones. Firstly, there will not be any serious strides made in any of the rookie nine or Konoha twelves relationships in a romantic sense during this first story (which goes through the Chuunin Exams for any of you curious folks). Personally, I think they're a bit too young to be seriously worried about that stuff. That said, I don't plan to ruin the adult pairings as I think they'll be pretty obvious (if you haven't already guessed the relevant ones) when you see it. Wow, look at that. I don't think I actually total you anything useful about the pairings. It's really too bad I don't feel guilty about it. (No, in all honesty, we mostly use standard pairings so there's that.)

Anyway, I didn't really think the romance of a bunch of twelve and thirteen year olds was why you're here (wait till they're older), but hey, I've been wrong before. Anyway, thanks for reading and on with the story.

**PS** – We still own nothing. Also, follow our tumblr page (link on my profile page) for the full experience. You know extra content, music, pictures that kind of thing.

**PPS** – Also, sorry for the length of the author notes (there's another one at the end for after you've read so I'm apologizing for that too) and without further ado, the dictionary:

**Denshi jisho**

Nigerou – to escape, to run away (command/volitional form)

Gaki – brat

Doumo – thanks (see previous culture corners for more info)

Nani ka – what? (similar to Nani see culture corner for more info)

_**(Jutsu List)**_

Kirigakure no Jutsu – hidden mist technique

Muon Satsujin Jutsu (kanji pronunciation) – Silent killing, in manga pronounced as silent killing (katakana)

Suirou no Jutsu – water prison technique

Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu – water clone technique

Mirrored Illusion – kyoumen no genzou

Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu – water release: water dragon bullet technique

* * *

_**Arc – C Ranks**_

_Chapter Ten – Chasing Dreams_

Naruto moved swiftly yet quietly through the trees as he surveyed the area he'd been assigned. His creator had been quite upset about the mishap from earlier. The clones should have seen the ambush ahead of time and warned their master, but no one had. At least he'd not been one of those clones. Not a single one of them had been left to roam free. Honestly, it wasn't really their fault. They were following pattern alpha and beta for their survey routes. A pattern they'd trained for countless hours, which didn't involve direct road survey. The boss man was supposed to take care of that. It had always been planned that way. But did the creator listen to reason, no.

Naruto, or bettered named clone number thirty-two, landed silently next to a squirrel that didn't know he was there until he'd already passed. Clone #32 watched his surroundings carefully. The boss man had assigned the fifty clones to a survey pattern they'd never implemented, never executed. Not a one of their ten practiced survey patterns involved what the boss man wanted, no _needed_. Which meant Clone #32 was running an unmapped pattern. How they were supposed to coordinate well was beyond him. Had been beyond a number of the clones. But when Clone #12 spoke this truth, the creator had dispelled him. No one else had questioned their creator after that.

Thus found Naruto clone #32 running his current survey pattern. Suddenly, Clone #32 stopped, melting into the shadows when he noticed a change in animal behavior around him. There was something amiss. Moving slowly with the shadows, Clone #32 inched his way forward for a better view. Soon enough he could see into a small clearing.

Standing hunched over by the edge of the clearing were two figures of varying heights. One man, tall and lengthy like Sensei with a massive sword swung across his back, and one boy, a mask similar to Inu-san's or Weasel-san's was secured to his face obscuring it from view. Despite the fact that he couldn't have been too much older than the boss man himself, he held himself just as assuredly as the larger man next to him. It was clear to Clone #32 that they were both dangerous, very dangerous.

The swordsman shifted his weight as he talked to his partner, the words too soft to be overheard from this distance. Clone #32 praised his good fortune as the movement had shifted his position, turning the larger man's body just enough in his direction for the light to catch off his hitai-ate. Just like the ninja they'd faced earlier, a line ran through the symbol for Kirigakure.

Clone #32 resisted the urge to shift in his place. That hitai-ate could only mean one thing. These men were in league with the Demon Brothers, and likely after their client Tazuna as well. Clone #32 knew what he _wanted_ to do. Ever instinct in his replicated body told him to warn the boss man. To dispel himself so that his creator would know about this nearby threat. But these guys weren't like those Kiri shinobi from earlier. They'd notice the smoke that would follow him dispelling, which would of course negate whatever advantage the boss man would have. So, he'd have to wait them out.

Glued to the shadows Naruto Clone #32 watched and waited and soon enough the larger ninja signaled his smaller companion ending their muted conversation as they moved. Clone #32 had to make a choice. He could only follow one target. Glancing in the general direction of each disappearing ninja, Clone #32 followed his gut, after all master pranking rule number three was hard to forget. Switching his focus to the tree line, he tracked the smaller ninja's progress as he moved into the section of trees not too far from him. His experienced eyes watched him seemingly disappear as soon as he enter the tree line. He was good, maybe even better than the boss man. There wasn't a single sign of him that his experience eyes could detect. It would be an amateur mistake to think he could follow him closely.

Dispelling now would be pointless, not to mention he was unsure how far the other ninja had gone. Besides, he'd already missed his meet up time and area nearly a minute ago. Probably would have missed it even if he'd not stopped here. But this was long enough to signal concern from his fellow clones. Soon enough Clone #33 would be dispelling with that information. Hopefully, the creator would know something was up. For now, his job was to get as much intel as possible.

Clone #32 waited a minute longer before moving in the direction of the smaller shinobi. It took him another minute to find the single broken twig that marked the path the Kiri-nin had taken. It was time to find out what this ninja was up to. He grinned wickedly as he moved along the barely traceable path left by the other ninja. If this shinobi was as smart as he looked, then this was going to be a very fun chase, very fun indeed…

* * *

Kakashi peeked from behind his _Icha Icha Paradise_ book to survey the area. After the boat ride, he was on high alert. This Gatou sounded like a real piece of work. But more importantly, he sounded like a man with the means and the will to try again. Failure wouldn't be an option for him. And when they were attacked again, it wouldn't be a Chuunin like the Demon Brothers, but a powerful Jounin. Kakashi just wished the mist surrounding them wasn't so thick. It would surely interfere with his Sharingan should he need it. At least Naruto could use the kage bunshin no jutsu well enough to survey the surrounding area. They'd have some warning at the very least.

As if his very thoughts called it, Naruto-kun stiffened slightly as he received information from his clones. "What's wrong Naruto-kun?" Kakashi inquired not a second after the movement.

"Clone #32 didn't make it to his checkpoint."

"Did he find something?" Sakura-san asked worriedly.

Naruto-kun shook his head at the question. "I don't know. He should have dispelled himself if he did. This could be anything." Naruto replied sheepishly. "Unfortunately, my clones have been known to wander off from time to time. All I know is that he didn't make it to his checkpoint, and he wasn't destroyed."

"Knowing you dope, he got distracted by a squirrel," Sasuke-san replied offhandedly.

"Temee!?" Naruto-kun replied angrily as his face brighten red in embarrassment. Kakashi and the rest of the team had seen Naruto-kun get distracted by that particular wildlife creature more times than they could count. His clones were no different. Still, it wouldn't hurt to assume the worst in this case.

"Let's pretend he found something interesting and couldn't dispel himself. Stay alert everyone, anything could be around the corner."

"Hai Sensei," his team replied. They would be alright he was sure of it. A couple of minutes later and Naruto-kun sent two kunai into the trees.

"Naruto stop wasting kunai!" Sakura-san yelled. Kakashi was tempted to agree, but he could tell that last kunai had hit something.

"Sakura, something was there!" Naruto-kun replied as he went over to his kunai. The first had missed, but the second had been dead on. Dead on into a snow white rabbit.

"Great job dope. You killed a rabbit, now we have dinner," Sasuke-san replied sarcastically.

A snow white rabbit, this time of year…

The whole team stiffened and dived down as one. Sakura-san having the forethought to bring Tazuna-san to the ground with her as the air over head was cut. Looking up Kakashi found a large sword more than halfway embedded into the thick tree trunk. Its owner perched atop it.

"Well if it isn't the missing-nin Momochi Zabuza of Kirigakure," Kakashi spoke as he stood. He watched as his team got into formation. Zabuza wasn't something his team was ready to face just yet. No, this was going to have to be all him. "Not this time guys. Let your youthful Sensei handle this." This wasn't going to be an easy fight either. Kakashi moved to pull up his hitai-ate.

"Ah, well if it isn't Sharingan Kakashi. No wonder the Demon Brothers were defeated. Against the legendary copy-cat ninja, they didn't stand a chance. No matter, I've come for the old man. No hard feeling Sharingan Kakashi. Move aside and no one else has to get hurt. Business is business."

"Hai, and it's our business to protect Tazuna-san. So, if you want him you're going to have to go through me," Kakashi replied as he revealed Obito-kun's last gift.

"Heh. Heh. This early in the fight and you're already revealing your Sharingan. You do me great honor, Kakashi."

"Sharingan? What the heck's a Sharingan?" Naruto-kun questioned.

"Dope, it's my clan's famous doujutsu. We've gone over the basics in class. What were you doing sleeping?"

"Huh? You got a doujutsu too?" Naruto-kun selectively responded to the question. Knowing Naruto, he probably had been sleeping during that lecture. Kakashi had seen him nod off during a D-rank mission or two, so he was sure lectures didn't stand a chance. "I thought only the Princess of Konoha's clan had a doujutsu."

"Baka…" Sakura-san replied as she shook her head at her blonde teammate. "The famous Sharingan is known for its ability to read jutsu of all kinds, but it's more than that."

"The user can copy any jutsu, and Sharingan Kakashi has copied over one thousand jutsu," Zabuza continued for her.

Sasuke-san snorted in amusement. "You think that's _impressive_. My Nii-san knows more than five thousand jutsus and has created more than one hundred. He is a true prodigy with the Sharingan." Sasuke snorted again before moving into a relaxed stance. "Don't worry dope. If this missing-nin is impressed with that low bar, then Kakashi-sensei should have this finished in no time."

"Gaki these days," Zabuza replied as he disappeared and reappeared on the nearby water. "I'll enjoy ending your existence. _Kirigakure no Jutsu_."

Zabuza disappeared as the mist thickened further. They were all effectively blinded. Sasuke-san straighten, immediately back on the defense. Naruto-kun summoned five additional clones to help protect Tazuna-san. Sakura-san preformed a basic genjutsu to over lay their protection. They'd be fine, Kakashi was sure of it, he just needed to make sure he was ready when Zabuza attacked.

Kakashi summoned a shadow clone during the initial confusion before speaking up for his team. "Zabuza is an expert of silent killing. Careful Team Seven."

"I got this Sensei!" Naruto replied just as the ground beneath Tazuna-san glowed red. Kakashi had missed when Naruto had performed his sealing technique and couldn't recognize its purpose from the few kanji he'd seen. Even so, he couldn't worry about that now, Naruto was a bright kid. He'd use the right seals. Right now, he needed to focus on Zabuza.

"Eight choices." Came Zabuza's hallow voice echoing in the mist. A blast of strong killer intent followed close behind, but Kakashi kept his eyes on the mist surrounding him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could see Sakura-san's wild look. But it soon faded as she gathered herself, the calm expression of her teammates likely fueling her inner drive. Their ability to maintain their composure even in the face of such intense killer intent bolstered his own confidence. His team was ready for this.

"Liver, lungs, spine, jugular, carotid…"

"Brain, kidney, and heart," Sasuke-san finished dispassionately, interrupting him mid-word. "All are instant deaths, but you'll have to get to us first."

"Ha, ha, _ha_, _**haaaa**_**!**" Laughter echoed throughout the thick mist, seemingly coming in all directions as it gained in volume.

'There!' Kakashi pinpointed, as Zabuza appeared in the middle of the group cutting through Naruto-kun's clones just as his fuuinjutsu activated.

Zabuza paused momentarily, his limbs clasped tightly to his body as if bound effectively frozen in place. "Got him!" Naruto-kun shouted in triumph.

However, the sight of that seal gave Kakashi pause. He recognized it even if it had activated several times faster than he'd ever seen and it most certainly would _not_ work as his blond student had hoped. What was Naruto-kun thinking? Zabuza was a Jounin level ninja, a binding seal wouldn't work on him. "No, Naruto-kun wait!"

"It's over," Zabuza announced, his voice low as he easily broke free of his invisible chains. His large sword slicing through Naruto-kun's body. Splitting him in half. The two halves remained for half a second longer before disappearing in a puff of smoke. Moving in immediately, Kakashi just managed to deflect the next attack. Trading blows with Zabuza as they each destroyed water clones or shadow clones before he finally got the upper hand.

"Don't move. It's over," Kakashi stated, his kunai pressed firmly to Zabuza's jugular.

"Hump. This is the legendary Sharingan Kakashi. If that's all, then there's no way you can defeat me with your monkey-like imitations." Zabuza didn't move but he spoke as if he didn't have a sharp kunai next to his jugular. "I must say I'm impressed with your little tools. Kage bunshin no jutsu this young. And fuuinjutsu no less. It nearly got my clone. Not to mention that little genjutsu the girl put up. I'm just waiting for the other Sharingan user to move. Hai, very impressive your tools."

"They are my _students_. Not tools," Kakashi replied fiercely.

"It doesn't matter. Your plan was nice. Hiding in the mist while you waited for me to attack your clone. Your only problem would be…" Kakashi felt the shift as Zabuza appeared behind him. A second clone! "I'm also not that easy to kill!"

Kakashi just barely dodged the sword as he back flipped out of the way. Using his chakra infused kunai, Kakashi deflected the incoming attack from Zabuza's powerful sword. The blow pushed him back, knocking him into the water.

"Kakashi-sensei!" his students yelled after him. Good, it sounded as if Naruto-kun was with them again. Kakashi pulled himself up onto the water, however, it was unnaturally heavy.

"Fool," Zabuza spat from beside him. 'Shimatta!' He was in Zabuza's domain. "_Suirou no Jutsu_."

Water formed around him as he was locked in place. He was as good as dead now.

"You tried to escape to the water, but now I have you in my prison. We'll finish things later, but first I have to take care of your little tools, and the old man of course. We really shouldn't mix pleasure with business. _Mizu Bunshin no Jutsu_."

Kakashi watched helplessly as Zabuza's water clone formed. He'd underestimated Zabuza, now his students would pay. "Run. _Nigerou_!"

"Heh, heh, heh. Now, let's see what your tools can do. Are they sharp deadly kunai?" Zabuza spoke as his gaze raked across his students, hungry and deadly as if he were the hunter and they the prey.

The clone attacked without warning. Moving too fast for Naruto to complete the fuuinjutsu he'd started. Kakashi watched, helpless as his student was knocked back, stopped well before he could finish activating his seal. Flipping head over heel helplessly along the ground hard. His hitai-ate stripped from him in the process. Naruto tried to pick himself back up, but the multiple impacts were too much for his young student. In one heap, his body clasped back to the ground.

"Huh. And I had thought more of you after that earlier fuuinjutsu, but is seems you're just a useless gaki after all. No ninjas here."

"I said run! Take Tazuna-san and escape! As long as he's keeping me trapped in this prison he can't move. His clone can't get far from his real body, so escape now!" This was a Jounin. His students may have been strong, but they weren't ready for this.

"Get up dope. If that's all you've got, then you don't stand a chance at earning the Princess of Konoha's recognition."

"Come on Baka. What would your Princess say, seeing you down on the ground like that? After a little tap? I've hit you harder than that!"

Despite the fact that his students were blatantly ignoring him, Kakashi couldn't stop the pride form running though his veins. They had come so far. Encouraging each other the only way they knew how. Kakashi watched transfixed as his blond student glanced over at his teammates. The fear that had once ruled his young face replaced with the determination that normally ruled Naruto-kun's life as he drew a shaky hand across his face, wiping away the blood and pulling himself up from the ground. It was a look that Kakashi was all too familiar with, a look he was proud of despite the desperate situation.

"Gomen Sensei. But I think we're going to have to ignore those orders," Naruto-kun nearly growled after regaining his feet, nodding quickly to Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan in the process. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_!" his blond student called out as seven identical versions of him appeared right alongside them.

"Ready dope, Sakura?" Kakashi watched helplessly as his students initiated a familiar signal, two of the Naruto clones immediately retreating to flank Sakura-chan. They had something planned. Something dangerous that would likely get them killed if he didn't figure a way out of here soon. Naruto-kun nodded his consent to his dark haired teammate, pulling out nine kunai in the process. Sakura-chan moving forward a tad as she raced through hand sign after hand sign. In quick succession, his blond student tossed a kunai to each clone standing guard around him, keeping one for himself as he tossed the last one to Sasuke-kun. "Sakura, you got this?"

Nodding briefly, she cast her jutsu. "_Mirrored Illusion_!" she shouted, immediately all the Naruto-kun's in the area blurred from existence, and where once eight Naruto's stood now fourteen took their place. Kakashi was familiar enough with the jutsu to realize that the real Naruto was no longer on the field as Sakura-chan's jutsu could only replicate illusions. In time, with some tweaking, she would eventually be able mask real people, right now the jutsu would only mask Naruto-kun's real shadow clones from the after-image replicas. While only shadows, they would be enough to confuse solid clones from empty air, remaining as long as the clones they were attached to remained.

"Now, make him pay. I've got Tazuna-san. Nothing's getting past me," Kakashi's pink haired student stated, a fierce light glowing in her eyes.

"I am _ordering_ you to run! Get away _now_!" Kakashi cried out. No matter how useless it seemed, he _had_ to try one more time before they did something reckless. These were his students. A group of people that had grown far more precious to him than he'd ever anticipated. He couldn't let them die here.

"Gomen Sensei. It seems we're trash," one of the Naruto clones replied defiantly. Kakashi internally cursed. While pride filled his chest, he couldn't help but hate how well his students had taken his one powerful lesson to heart.

"We will _not_ be worse than that," Sasuke-kun added stubbornly, determination lining his features. Kakashi closed his eyes for a moment, a prayer on his lips for he knew there was nothing more he could say to sway his students.

"We _refuse_ to abandon our team and that includes you, Sensei," Sakura-chan finished fiercely as she squared her shoulders and stood her ground, her four Naruto clones, two real, two illusions without his Sharingan he doubted he'd be able to tell the difference.

"Kuso." This time he really did curse aloud. Readying himself for whatever was to come, Kakashi prepared to move the moment his students freed him. At this point there would be no stopping them. There would be only two possible outcomes to this scenario. He could only hope they wouldn't lose anyone in the process.

"You _fools_. Playing at ninja. When I was your age, I'd already dyed my hands red with blood."

"The devil Zabuza," Kakashi muttered. He'd heard _all_ about the Demon of the Hidden Mist. It was just one more reason to fear for his students' safety.

"Glad to see you've heard of me Sharingan Kakashi."

Kakashi suppressed a cringe at the memory. Hai, he'd heard all about _that_ bloody affair. However, a quick glance at his students told him that they were still blissfully unaware. Internally he debated on whether he should tell them. A part of him wanted to let them keep as much innocence as they could, but he knew that wasn't the life of a ninja. This was something they needed to know, the realities of a shinobi life. "Hai, long ago in Kirigakure, a village better known to the ninja world as the bloody mist, there was a final obstacle in becoming a ninja."

"I hadn't known our graduation exam was so well known?"

"Graduation exam?" one of the Naruto clones asked, confusion lacing his voice. Kakashi was unsurprised. Really, when compared to the rest of the ninja world, Konohagakure had one of the easiest academy graduation exams. The worst incident to ever occur during one was Naruto-kun's own experience with Mizuki and that hadn't even been a part of the normal examination. It would be hard for anyone behind the sturdy walls of Konoha to imagine the horrors that occurred daily outside of those very walls.

Again, Kakashi warred within himself. How could he subject his most precious people to these atrocities? How could he allow the innocence of his students, especially that of the boy who was like his little brother, be tainted by the horrors that surrounded the life of a ninja? But it was too late for that kind of thought. Naruto-kun was a ninja now, his whole team had chosen this life. They would only benefit from hearing this story.

Now, if only Zabuza didn't have to laugh that crazy laugh. Kakashi was really starting to get annoyed by that. Of course he realized the irony of that thought. Of all the things to be annoyed at in this situation, he was most bothered by a laugh. Not this forced imprisonment, caused by his own carelessness. Not the peril his students found themselves in as they refused to leave his side, motivated by his own teachings. Not even the loss of innocence that this encounter would result in for his students, again from a story told from his own mouth. No those things could not be helped. They were the result of living a ninja life, dangerous, the outcome never certain. But that laugh, now that was just annoying.

"Fights to the death between the students," Zabuza interjected, his laughter never ceasing.

However, Kakashi refused to let Zabuza tell this story. If this was a story his students needed to hear and it was, then _he_ was going to make sure they heard it the right way. This was far too important to approach it any other way. "Friends who had trained and eaten at the same table were pitted against each other in fights to the death. Brutal encounters between classmates who had helped each other for years. Friends that had shared fears and hopes and dreams. It wasn't until ten years ago that the Hidden Mist graduation exam was forced to change. A change that came on the heels of the previous year when a demon appeared. Without pause, without hesitation, without empathy, without remorse a young boy who was not even an academy student at the time killed over a hundred of the students."

"Ah, old times. That sure was fun," Zabuza smiled. It was as sick and twisted as the act he'd committed over ten years ago. Without warning the clone attacked. Kakashi watched the ground detonated before him, stopping him in his tracks. He'd barely crossed the distance as shattered rock and iron obstructed his way. "How interesting. You managed to place that seal without my notice."

Of course Kakashi knew that seal had been placed by the hiding Naruto-kun. Though he'd learned to never take his eyes off his blond student in a fight, he knew that no matter how attentive Zabuza was, he wasn't likely to be prepared for the seals now placed on the field. Whatever their plan, it would succeed. Not only was Zabuza not taking his students as serious as he would need to in order to kill them, but he hadn't even noticed his missing student. Kakashi only hoped they would take what he'd been trying to teach them and use this to their advantage.

"Now!" Sasuke-kun replied. Using the teamwork that Kakashi had spent the last several months drilling into their heads they moved as one, running together, the ten Naruto clones forming the outline of a triangle as Sasuke-kun ran up the middle.

Two at a time, one pair after the other, the Naruto clones bombard Zabuza's water clone with kunai, Sasuke throwing the last kunai with a fling of his wrist as they continue to advance. As to be expected, Zabuza's one clone was more than able to easily dodge the assault, not even noticing that several of the kunai were only illusions, ghosts traveling in the mirrored path of their brethren. That was until one of the many innocent looking kunai transformed, expanding into ten in a move that Kakashi was unfortunately very familiar with. Zabuza's clone countered the unexpected turn in the attack with a broad swing from his massive sword, effortlessly batting all ten kunai away in one swing, not even recognizing that most of the ten kunai were merely illusions.

Kakashi almost grinned at the sight. Zabuza did _not_ know his team like he did. Things were never as they seemed with Naruto-kun involved, and boy did his student love his explosives. Right on cue, one of the many kunai batted away detonated less than a second later. Even to Kakashi, a seasoned veteran when it came to Naruto-kun's explosive seals, could barely pinpoint the real kunai rigged to blow from the illusion. So, it came as no surprise that the kunai imploded close enough to knock the water clone off balance.

It was a near perfectly staged plan, as the Naruto clone triangle managed to reach Zabuza's clone at the very second of his slight stumble. Both Naruto clones and after-images moved as one, assaulting the water clone, the images Sakura-chan's genjutsu had created creating confusion as Zabuza's clone swat at image and shadow clone alike, unable to tell the difference between the two. However, with the skill of a man classified as an A rank missing-nin in the Konoha Bingo Book, Zabuza's water clone quickly overcame the confusion, dispatching the Naruto clones in quick succession.

However, his dark haired student had not allowed the opportunity to escape him. Just as the last clone and attached image were destroyed Sasuke-kun was able to land one solid hit to the water clone. Kakashi cursed under his breath at his students' plan as unlike Naruto-kun's shadow clones, Zabuza's clone remained. They were up against a Jounin level ninja using a water clone, Sasuke-kun should have really known better.

Knocked back from the strong kick from Zabuza's water clone Sasuke just barely managed to stay on his feet as he clutched an object tightly in his hand. A second later, the water clone exploded in a spray of water. Pride warmed his chest at the maneuver as the real Naruto-kun rejoined his teammates, shaking water from his hair while laying a steadying hand on Sasuke-kun's shoulder to ensure he didn't fall.

"Good placement," Naruto-kun mentioned briefly before returning his attention to Zabuza his hand still maintaining the jutsu holding Kakashi prisoner. Though he hadn't been able to see it, by the size of the blast Sasuke-kun had been able to place one of Naruto-kun's signature exploding tags on the clone with his attack. Now, if they could all make it out of this alive, then he'd be able to commend them for their excellent use of tactics and teamwork. They really were improving.

"Here you go dope. Thought you might want this," Sasuke-kun stated as he held out Naruto-kun's dropped hitai-ate. They looked at each other for a moment before Naruto-kun nodded his head in thanks taking the pro-offered item in the process.

"Here," Naruto-kun spoke in reply, his back to Kakashi as he passed Sasuke-kun something in the process. Given the different scenarios they had practiced in teamwork training Kakashi guess at a number of different items it could have been, but guessing was all he would be able to do at this angle. Hopefully, Zabuza was still underestimating his students. They would need that added edge.

As determined as ever, Naruto-kun retied his hitai-ate to his forehead. With Sasuke-kun at his side, and Sakura-chan covering their backs, never wavering from her protection of Tazuna-san, Kakashi's confidence was slowly growing. His students could do this.

"So, you got one clone. You're going to have to do a hell of a lot better than that to beat me," Zabuza taunted, unfazed by the destruction of his water clone. Kakashi took that as a good sign.

"How about this?" Sakura-chan called out as she flung two kunai at their opponent, never leaving her spot protecting their client. Naruto-kun followed her actions immediately with two more kunai of his own while Sasuke-kun brought up the rear as a large shuriken appeared in his hand. "Evil wind shuriken!" he called out as he threw it in one mighty swing.

While Zabuza had learned from their other attacks, so had his students. The kunai exploded in rapid succession even as Zabuza batted them away using the wind created from one powerful swing of his sword. While he didn't let the shuriken get close enough to explode in his face, each explosion rocked the field, the multiple blasts separate enough to disrupt the airflow allowing Sasuke-kun's large shuriken attack to get close enough to rock Zabuza in his place. Rocked off balanced, Zabuza failed to notice the smile cross Naruto-kun's lips as he placed his hand into the cross activator hand sign.

"Boom," Naruto said. Less than half a second later the water beneath Zabuza's feet glowed red. In one hasty motion, Zabuza leapt backwards, letting go of the jutsu that was keeping Kakashi prisoner as he fled as quickly as possible before the blast could kill him. Naruto was never one for small explosions.

Not wasting a single second, Kakashi made his escape as the water prison released. It was a good plan, great even. Naruto-kun, using Sakura-chan's jutsu activation as a diversion to escape Zabuza's notice, had used the time while Sasuke-kun and his clones were fighting Zabuza's water clone to place the seal. Then they'd used the exploding kunai and shuriken to throw Zabuza off balance so he would react on pure instinct when faced with a much larger explosion below his feet.

"Go get him, Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto-kun cheered before retreating with Sasuke-kun to Sakura-chan's side. A moment later, his two clones still standing guard popped out of existence, the two after-images fading away as Sakura-chan's genjutsu was canceled. Turning away from his students, Kakashi readied himself. They had done a wonderful job, but now it was _his_ turn.

"Damn that gaki!" Zabuza landed on the water heavily, favoring his left leg more than the other. So, he'd not been able to get away completely unharmed.

"My students are all gifted, don't you think so Zabuza. You don't stand a chance against us."

"Don't you _dare_ underestimate me!" Zabuza yelled as he began a set of complex hand signs, but Kakashi already knew this jutsu.

"_Suiton: Suiryuudan no Jutsu_!" They spoke at the same time. Their jutsus colliding in a rage of water as each man battled for dominance. However, what would have normally been an even attack was swayed by Zabuza's injured state. Unbalanced, Kakashi took advantage of the opening presented to him as Zabuza shifted to lessen the pressure on his injured leg. Racing forward, kunai in hand, Kakashi attacked. Pressed closed together in a battle of strength, he watched as Zabuza grunted through the pain, ignoring it completely in favor of blocking Kakashi's initial strike. Of course that had been as Kakashi had expected, Zabuza was no ordinary shinobi after all.

Shifting in his spot, Kakashi pressed his attack. Not backing off for a second. Moving in for another strike, Kakashi angled each swing of his kunai so that Zabuza was forced to place more and more pressure on his injury. No matter how high caliber he was, Zabuza would not be able to ignore the pain indefinitely. Soon enough, Zabuza made a mistake. Leaning too heavily on his uninjured leg, he gave Kakashi the opening he needed to connect with a well-placed kick. The force of the maneuver knocked Zabuza off his feet forcing him backwards until his momentum was stopped by a nearby tree.

"It's over."

Suddenly, senbon came out of nowhere. Piercing Zabuza's body with hundreds of the sharp weapons and killing him instantly. "Hai, it is over. Arigatou gozaimasu. I've been…" A light voice began as a Kiri hunter-nin appeared before Zabuza's body. However no sooner had he landed did Naruto-kun interrupt the hunter-nin.

"Sensei get back! He's with Zabuza!" Naruto-kun yelled.

The hunter-nin cursed before grabbing Zabuza's body and shun-shining away. Kakashi wavered a little, but was able to keep himself upright. There was no way they'd be able to face who ever that boy was, not in their condition.

"Should we go after them Sensei?" Sakura asked as his team closed in on his position.

"No. Let's focus on getting to Tazuna-san's place. I have a feeling we'll be seeing those two again, but not anytime soon." And with any luck, his team would be stronger and more than ready to face them.

* * *

Tazuna-san's house was in its own little secluded spot outside of the main town. Floating on the water, serene as it blended with the wildlife surrounding it. It was a beautiful sight, deep blue skies and birds singing overhead and it reminded Sakura strongly of home.

"Tou-san, you've returned," a young woman greeted as they entered the home.

"Team Kakashi please meet my daughter, Tsunami-chan."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Tsunami-san bowed in greeting before turning her attention back to her father. "Tou-san, how did it go?"

Tazuna-san shook his head sadly. "We're going to have to watch our backs for a while longer. The ninja after me got away through no fault of this brave ninja team. They were outstanding." Sakura blushed a little at the compliment. They _had_ held their own pretty well. **'Damn straight we were outstanding! Better than that even. We rocked **_**hard**_**! Those little bitches didn't stand a chance!'**

"We'll have a reprieve for a little while at the least, Tazuna-san," Kakashi-sensei replied tiredly. "Zabuza will have to recover from his injuries. A technique that mimics death like that will have some lingering effects, not to mention the damage my team did to his left leg. He'll need to heal from that as well."

"What are we going to do in the meantime, Sensei?" Sakura inquired, curiously. While they knew a lot about Zabuza's skills, they'd be fighting blind against his associate. They couldn't just wait around to be attacked. They needed a game plan to take on those two ninja.

"Rest and get stronger. I estimate we have a week before Zabuza should be fully recovered, and…" Kakashi stumbled slightly catching himself before he fell.

"Sensei!" Sakura furrowed her brow at her Sensei's heavy breathing. This couldn't be good.

Naruto and Sasuke-kun looked on worriedly at their staggered Sensei. Sakura moved to help him stand as he stumbled again.

"I'm fine. I'm fine." Kakashi-sensei waved them off. "Just low chakra levels. It's nothing that a few days of rest won't heal."

Sakura sighed in relief. **'He better be back to health soon, or I'll have to put the hurt on those missing-nin! How DARE they injure our Sensei! No one's allowed to hurt **_**this**_** chronically late ass but US!'**

After they'd gotten Kakashi-sensei settled, a young boy who couldn't be older than seven or eight entered the room. "Grandpa's back?"

"Inari-kun say hello to the brave ninja that have been protecting him."

The boy, Inari, looked sullenly over at her and her team. "Why? They're just going to died."

"Inari!" Tsunami-san scolded her son.

Sakura kept her face neutral, but inside she was steaming. **'Who does this little gaki think he is!? DIE! We're the badasses of all the rookie nine! Ain't **_**no**_** damn team better than US!'**

"It's true!" Inari defended.

"Die? I'll have you know I'm the Seal Master of Konoha. Best friends to the Princess of Konoha. Someone like Gatou doesn't stand a chance against me and _my_ team!"

Sakura nodded in agreement. **'Damn straight we're going to take down that lazy ass egomaniac Gatou! That baka Naruto finally got something right because when we're done with Gatou, he'll be our little BITCH!'**

Sasuke-kun looked smug as he too nodded in agreement.

"It's useless fighting. You're all going to die. No one can defeat Gatou," Inari replied sullenly as he turned to leave.

"Temee!" Sakura held Naruto back, automatically moving to stop her teammate without conscious thought, as Inari retreated. **'That gaki! We ought to ring his little good for nothing neck! Giving **_**us**_** lip like that! Who does he thing he IS!?'**

"Let it go, Naruto. He's only a boy," Sakura replied calmly. She wouldn't let her inner thoughts get the best of her.

Still upset, Naruto huffed before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"I'm sorry about Inari, he's going through a hard time right now. I hope that young ninja will be alright."

"It's alright, Naruto-kun can be a little hot tempered." There was a long awkward pause before Kakashi-sensei spoke again. "Rest up guys. For tomorrow we train."

* * *

Naruto looked over at the living forest similar but so different from his own. He'd slept out here last night, too keyed up to sleep quietly. After leaving the group last night he'd gone after Inari anyway to talk some sense into him. Instead he'd found him crying his heart out in a way Naruto could remember. He'd not had the heart to interrupt. He recognized a kindred spirit when he saw one.

Naruto too had cried his fair share of tears for the injustice and corruption of the world. This world was filled with people with blacken hearts. This Gatou sounded like he was one of the worst. And on his bad days, the days when he'd not been able to convince himself that living on the streets was better than living in the orphanage during that small time he'd lived between homes. He'd felt the anger in him so overwhelming that he'd not been able to stop the tears.

But then he'd found acceptance from one of the most unlikely of places. He'd met the Princess of Konoha. Someone so beautiful and strong in this world had reminded him that there was _always_ good out there. She'd seen him even then, Naruto was sure of it. She'd seen him when no one less had. It had been what he'd needed to see that the good and the kind in the world out weight the bad. That good was worth fighting, and struggling, for and he knew that it always would be.

Naruto looked calmly over the forest surrounding him. Now, he could see this forest for what it was. Filled with beauty and life. A good that could not be tainted by the likes of Gatou. And although the injustices of the world were many, he didn't plan on letting that stop him from fighting. It had been a long time since he'd let those wrongs stop him from living. Gatou _would not_ be the one to change that.

Naruto held his hand up over his eyes as the sunlight beamed down on him. 'Hyuuga-hime can you see me now? Fighting against the darkness?'

He lay there unmoved for several seconds longer, before blinking as new memories returned to him. Sighing heavily Naruto moved from his comfortable position. Kakashi-sensei wanted the real him for whatever training he had in mind. He just hoped it wouldn't take away from his own personal training. If his fight against Zabuza's clone was anything to go by, then Naruto had a lot to learn before the week was out.

Swiftly moving in the direction his clone had been in last, Naruto found himself immerging into a small clearing not far from Tazuna's floating house. Facing him was a small body of water. Its tranquil waters glistened as the sun shone down on it. Fresh water circulated slowly through it from the opening of a rapidly moving river. Not far from its shore his team waited.

"So nice of you to join us, Naruto-kun," Kakashi-sensei stated behind his orange book. When was the last time he'd attempted to destroy that thing? A week ago? Maybe he should try again.

"I was training, some of us want to get better," Naruto gave the small lie. He would have been training in another ten minutes or so anyway.

"Whatever dope," Sasuke dismissed him easily. He hated being dismissed.

"Now that you're here we can begin. You've all learned the tree walking exercise well, so now it's time for the next level. Water walking."

Sasuke looked excited as did Sakura, but this exercise wouldn't help him in the slightest. Great, another exercise he'd learned ages ago. "If that's it, then I'm out of here. I've got some real training to do," Naruto replied annoyed as he turned to leave. His clones should have moved into position when they'd felt clone #2 dispel. Now where was the closest one?

"Nani?" Sakura looked over at him confused, but Naruto didn't really care. He had to get better with his fuuinjutsu.

"Figures the dope would neglect his chakra control exercise for fuuinjutsu. You neglect everything else, why not this too?" Sasuke replied, his voice tinged with venom.

"Neglect! I haven't neglected anything!" Naruto turned back to his teammates as he ran at Sasuke as if he was going to attack. Instead he kept going out onto the water. Just for kicks and to shove his mastery in Sasuke's face, Naruto did several backflips on the water's surface before walking back to his team. "I learned this technique more than a year ago. So excuse me if I'd like to get training in on my fuuinjutsu while you struggle with this." Turning to go Naruto tossed over his shoulder one last comment. "When you catch up to me, I'll be waiting."

Feeling a clone nearby, Naruto signaled for his substitution, but was yanked back just as his clone popped out of existence. Turning his head he found his Sensei staring down at him. Hand firmly on his jacket. "What gives, Sensei!? I've mastered the skill, now let me go _train_!" Naruto hated being held off the ground.

Sensing his distress Kakashi set him down on the ground, but did not release his hold. "_Kage Bunshin no Jutsu._"

A second Kakashi-sensei appeared next to the one still gripping his jacket. "Nan da?"

"Since Naruto-kun seems to already know this technique, I believe this will allow us time to work on the basics. Taijutsu."

"Nani? No, Sensei. Come on. I already know taijutsu."

Sasuke snorted in amusement. Even Sakura looked amused by his comment. He _did_ know taijutsu. He could fight just fine thank you very much!

"Please dope, your taijutsu is worse than my little cousins. They're eight."

"Temee…"

"Enough!" Kakashi-sensei commanded. Silence replaced his voice afterwards. "I'll train Naruto in taijutsu while my clone works with you guys on chakra control. Is that understood?"

"Hai, Sensei," they all replied automatically.

"Good luck," Kakashi-sensei's clone spoke as he turned back to Naruto's teammates.

Kakashi-sensei looked down at him as he pouted his displeasure. "I'm sure going to need it."

A couple of minutes later, they'd moved to an open clearing. Kakashi-sensei let go of Naruto roughly causing him to stumble to the ground. Picking himself up, he brushed himself off casually. Now he just had to convince Sensei to let him go train his fuuinjutsu. Seeing Kakashi-sensei's determined face, Naruto knew this wasn't going to be easy.

"Look Sensei, I know you think I've got to improve my taijutsu right now. But you've seen me fight. I can hold my own against Sasuke and Sakura. So, I don't really need to improve my taijutsu, now. What I've got to work on is becoming a fuuinjutsu master. That's my priority, not anything else."

"So, I should let you train alone, so you can continue to make more poor decision in battle like that binding seal?"

Sheepish, Naruto looked away from Sensei. He'd modified a normal binding seal to the point it would work instantaneously, and it had worked instantaneously. Just not the way he'd planned.

"What were you thinking Naruto-kun? A binding seal on a _Jounin_? A _conscious_ Jounin at that! I thought we'd gone over why you shouldn't use it on _Tora_ much less a Jounin like Zabuza."

The disappointed look on Kakashi-sensei's face had Naruto quickly fumbling for an answer as he tried to explain his strategy. "I was using it to slow him down, even if only for a second. And it _did_ work, Sensei. He just broke free before I could do anything else."

"Don't you see Naruto-kun? _That_ is what's most important. In the end, after all is said and done, you _couldn't_ capitalize on those few seconds. And do you know why that is?" Sensei didn't wait for an answer. "It's because of your _taijutsu_. Your taijutsu is your _weakest_ skill and it was more than exposed during your fight with Zabuza's clone."

"That's why I've got to get better with my fuuinjutsu, Sensei! The better my fuuinjutsu, the easier it will be for me to take people like him out! I won't lose next time! Believe it!" He needed to win every fight to become a master. And he had to become a master!

"You think you can be Hokage with fuuinjutsu alone? Don't mistake your skill in fuuinjutsu for overall strength, Naruto-kun. You have much to learn before you're ready for that step."

"The sooner I'm a fuuinjutsu master the sooner I can work on something else! I've got to become a fuuinjutsu master, Sensei. Before anything else. That's my goal! My dream! Once I'm a master at fuuinjutsu, _then _I'll work on my taijutsu, and even start on my elementary chakra!" Naruto could still feel the sting of Sasuke's words. "I'm not neglecting my training, Sensei. I'm not, I've got a plan! Believe it!" Naruto's eyes shown with determination. Soon enough he could have his dream.

His speech must have changed Kakashi-sensei's mind as Sensei sighed heavily. "Alright Naruto-kun." Naruto jumped up in excitement. Now was time for training, and he knew just what to work on first.

"Doumo Sensei, you won't regret it!" However, Naruto didn't get far.

"You can go Naruto-kun, but on one condition." Naruto turned back, hesitantly. While he often didn't enjoy them, conditions were something he was used to by now. After all, Iruka-sensei's conditions were never something fun. They were doable, if he was really desperate, but they were never fun. Something told him he wasn't going to like Kakashi-sensei's condition either. "If you can place one seal on me anywhere, any type of hit in a one-on-one fight, then you don't have to work on taijutsu or anything else until you've become a fuuinjutsu master."

"Really?" Naruto questioned skeptically. This sounded way too good to be true. They both knew that Naruto could and had landed seals and seal techniques on his Sensei before. He didn't see how this would be any different.

"Really. No tricks. You land one hit, one seal of any kind, and you can work on fuuinjutsu until your heart's content."

"Alright, Kakashi-sensei! Let's dance!" This would be over quickly, and then he could focus on the important stuff. Naruto took in his surroundings. This wasn't an area he knew well. Nor, had he placed any seals he could maneuver Sensei into. So, he was definitely at a disadvantage. Even so, that wouldn't matter here. He was confident he had the skill. 'Okay, don't sweat. I got this.'

"Hai, we'll be fighting in an area that you've not had time to prep. You won't always be able to stack the deck in your favor. And Naruto-kun, there is a time limit." Kakashi-sensei took out the same clock he'd used for their second Genin exam. 'Did he carry that everywhere, or was he expecting this confrontation?' "Fifteen minutes should be long enough."

Faced with such a short time limit, Naruto didn't give Kakashi-sensei another second before attacking. Summoning several clones, he replaced himself with one already waiting along the tree line. However, before he could melt into the surrounding, ready to disappear under ground to set his traps, Sensei had dispelled all the clones in the area.

'Shimatta…' His cover had just been completely destroyed. Thinking quickly, he rushed through each hand sign to sink into the earth. He needed to disappear before Sensei spotted him. Unfortunately, he wasn't quick enough. In one violent yank, Sensei pulled him from the ground, throwing him back into the clearing before he'd gotten the chance to disappear.

"Going somewhere, Naruto-kun?" Kakashi-sensei taunted, his towering face staring down at him as Naruto struggled back to his feet.

"_Kage bun_…" Words barely had a chance to form before he was sent flying, kicked high into the air from a vicious hit to his stomach. Undeterred, Naruto tried again as he flew through the air. He refused to let Kakashi-sensei win. Forming the familiar cross sign, Naruto wordlessly summoned a dozen clones just as Kakashi-sensei appeared behind him.

Naruto spun around to deflect the blow he knew would be coming. Arms crossed Naruto waited for the impact, only to be thrown forward as Kakashi-sensei rematerialized at his back, kicking him hard.

A clone switched places with him dispelling less than a second later. 'Kuso!' He had a plan, he just needed the time to make it work. Summoning more shadow clones, Naruto got to work. Or tried to. Kakashi-sensei, tore through his clones like they weren't even there. One hit, punch, kick, or elbow dispelled them with ease leaving Naruto with no other option but to summon more or risk being completely defenseless. He just needed ten seconds. He had the seal already prepared, but he needed time to set it. 'Come on guys. Stay alive for ten seconds!'

Summoning a hundred clones, Naruto got to work. Fire burst from the center of the fighting. A hundred different memories of being destroyed by a large fire blast assaulted Naruto's mind causing him to stumble. Naruto tried to shake it off, but was having little luck. 'He'd done this before, why was it effecting him so much now?'

"Not used to the overload of information anymore. I suspected you'd been blocking out the memories the first few time you used kage bunshin no jutsu like that, but now that you've become accustom to taking in all of your clones information. It's just too much."

Despite the unexpected odds, Naruto would not give up, not now, not ever. He replaced himself with his Sensei's perverted orange book, a complete waste of the most badass color in existence. Seal at the ready. He was inches away from the man, when Kakashi-sensei caught his wrist. Naruto looked up at his Sensei. Strained as he used all of his strength to move his hand. 'No… No! He was so close!'

_Buzz. Buzz. Buzz._

"I believe I've won," Kakashi-sensei announced, releasing Naruto's wrist in the process. Naruto slumped down to the ground. Head down. The fight was over, and so was his chance to become a fuuinjutsu master within the next three months. 'Hyuuga-hime… do you see me now…'

"It's not just fuuinjutsu that makes a ninja great. You can be more than fuuinjutsu, Naruto-kun." Naruto continued to look at his hands in sadness. He'd failed. "You _are_ more than fuuinjutsu, Naruto-kun."

"The Uzumakis are prodigies with fuuinjutsu. It's all I have Sensei! It's all that I'm good at."

"There are no short cuts to the Princess of Konoha, Naruto-kun. You should know better than that."

"Fuuinjutsu isn't a short cut! It's what makes me special! Makes me worthy of the Princess of Konoha's friendship! And until I'm a master, we'll never fight together!"

"The Princess of Konoha is a taijutsu specialist, a master of her clan's gentle fist. You want to fight with her, to gain her friendship? Then you'll have to be able to fight her first. And prove you can stand toe to toe with her in battle. How can you do that if you can't fight beside her, taijutsu to taijutsu?"

Naruto looked down in thought. He'd never thought of having to fight Hyuuga-hime. Never even thought he might have to prove to her that he was strong enough. But now that he thought about it, it _did_ make sense. Hyuuga-hime was kind enough to be friends with everyone. Not just anyone could be her _best_ friend, though. But she was so much stronger than he was. She'd had private training that put her leaps and bounds ahead of him. How would he ever be able to fight her? "I don't know."

"You reply to heavily on your clones for battle, Naruto-kun. Your clones can easily be dispelled. You, however, can take more than one hit." Naruto looked up again at his Sensei who seemed to have all of his answers. "You _have_ to learn how to take that hit. Once you do there are so many ways I know you'll be able to use taijutsu to work in your fuuinjutsu."

"What about my fuuinjutsu, Sensei? I can't… I can't turn my back on it not yet." Once he was a master at fuuinjutsu, no one could look down on his friendship with Hyuuga-hime. No one could say he wasn't strong enough.

Kakashi-sensei paused for a second before he replied. "Have your clones work on your fuuinjutsu, Naruto-kun. Your chakra control and chakra stores are good enough to allow you to do that type of training." Sensei poked his back as he continued. "But your body. No clone can help you train your body in taijutsu. So, let me train your body so that taijutsu comes second nature. So, every move you make is done without thought." Kakashi-sensei paused here. Naruto was sure it was for dramatic effect. His Sensei was rather good at dramatics. "It's time to step up your training, Naruto-kun. With Zabuza out there and his apprentice, we'll need everyone to be at their highest. Fuuinjutsu is not going to be enough this time."

Naruto jumped up. Renewed in energy. Renewed in drive. Renewed in purpose. He could do this. He _would_ do this. His dreams would not fail here. Naruto's hands moved into the familiar cross sign. "_Kage bunshin no jutsu!_" Five clones faced him, grins plastered on their faces.

"You know what I want to do," he spoke as he threw his sealing scroll at the center clone.

"Sure do boss!"

"We got you covered, chief!"

"The Princess of Konoha better watch out!"

"'Cause we're coming for her."

"Have fun with Sensei, boss man."

Naruto watched as his clones bound off. Now was time for him to learn to fight toe-to-toe with Hyuuga-hime. When they met again, she'd see his change. "Alright Sensei, let's do this!"

'I'm coming for you Hyuuga-hime.'

* * *

A gust of wind blew through Sasuke's hair, but he didn't notice it. He was too concentrated on himself, the inner working and movement of his chakra to be bothered by the wind. His chakra moved forcefully within him. Denying to submit to his will. Sasuke struggled with it as he felt himself sinking. The cold water splashing against his ankles.

Breathing out heavily in frustration, Sasuke opened his eyes and stepped back on top of the water. If he just stood there he could normally stay on the top for a little while, but then his concentration would waver…

The sound of flesh striking flesh, and the quick splashes of water as his two teammates battled it out on the water's surface drew his focus once more. Naruto and Sakura traded blows. Sakura pressing her advantage as Naruto preformed a serious of back flips off the water. The dope had always been like that, using his surrounds more as he fought.

Settling in a crotch, Naruto shot back up. Attacking head first, but Sakura countered each blow. Sasuke snapped his focus back as the chill of the water began to splash against his ankles again. 'Kuso! Why couldn't he get this!?' It was already day two of training, and yet he was still struggling. The dope had learned it some time ago, and Sakura had learned it within the first hour of practice yesterday. It should have been simple for someone like him to master the technique as well.

The sounds of Naruto and Sakura battling caught his attention again. "Good job Naruto. That was a prefect series of katas this time. You're getting much better," Sakura complimented their blonde teammate.

"Not good enough to best you though." Sasuke could hear the grin in the dope's voice.

Sakura laughed as Sasuke stepped back onto the water. "Not even in your _dreams_, Baka. You think you're the only one training? Every minute you spend training, I'm spend just as long. So, you'll never catch up to me. Not in this." The pride in her voice was well earned, but it irked him nonetheless. He should be fighting with them too. Training his water walking skill as they help improve the dope's taijutsu. But instead he was struggling to stay afloat.

"Oh yeah?" Naruto replied cockily.

"Bring it, Baka!" Sakura challenged.

They clashed again as Sasuke found himself once again sinking into the cold water. He added chakra sharply to his feet trying to level himself out, only to blast off the water's surface. 'Kuso!' he silently cursed as he landed with a splash into the frigid waters.

Sasuke moved back to dry land as he rang out his wet cloths. This just wasn't working. Maybe he just needed to find another body of water. Practice without the distraction of his teammates.

"You're thinking too hard, Sasuke-kun." Caught completely by surprised, he jumped at the sound of Kakashi-sensei's voice. Turning around, Sasuke found his Sensei with his eyes glued to his little orange book.

"Nani?"

"You're thinking too hard. You know this, but you're trying too hard to manipulate your chakra instead of letting it flow naturally."

Sasuke looked down. It really was the only way he knew how to manipulate his chakra. In the distance he could hear Naruto and Sakura still battling. He couldn't be left behind. "What should I do differently Sensei?" he asked hesitantly.

"Take it at a run," Kakashi-sensei replied offhandedly, turning the page of his book in the process.

"Nani ka?" There was no way he'd heard that correctly. Here he was struggling to stand, and Sensei wanted him to run on the water? What happened to you have to learn to walk before you could run?

"Run across the water until you get it. Don't think, just run."

Sasuke looked over at the slowly moving water. Naruto and Sakura in the distance continued their spar atop the reflective surface. What did he have to lose? Without looking, without wasting another second, he ran head first towards the water's surface. Too fast to back out now, too quick to change his mind. He ran as fast and as hard as he could.

At first, he was running ankle deep in the cool liquid, running without thoughts and without trying to control the power inside of him. He didn't let his mind wonder to noise in the background, the sound of grunts and groans as his teammates spar. He didn't let himself think about the water pooled around his ankles as he moved. He just ran, allowing his mind to hold on to one thought. He hadn't sunk yet.

Eyes straight ahead, the image of his brother materialized in the distance. He ran harder to him. Passing his sparring teammates as he went. Soon enough the near constant cold of the crystal liquids wasn't pressed against his ankles. Nor did the cold encompass his sandal clad toes. And in moments his feet skimmed the top of the water. Following the curved edge of the waters, he didn't pause in his pace.

"Way to go temee! Knew you'd get it soon!" the dope called to him as he passed his teammates again. His steps hitting the top of the water with each stride.

"You've got it Sasuke-kun!" Sakura encouraged as he continued by them.

Moments later, a smile found its way to his features, appearing on his face against his will as he continued to run along the water's surface. Suddenly, it wasn't so hard. He slowed down as he reached Kakashi-sensei's spot near the shore. Standing there on the crystal surface, confident he'll never sink again. Looking back over his shoulder to the distance image of his brother, he watched as the image faded, disappearing into the horizon.

'I'm coming for you Nii-san.'

* * *

**KJ's Japanese Corner**

(1) _Jutsu in Japanese and English._ You may have noticed that we used both Japanese and English forms of jutsus. This is because we used the English for the made up jutsu. If it exists then we used the Japanese for it. The only time this is not true is for the _Silent Killing_ technique. The _Silent Killing_ technique, however, is pronounced in katakana (latin based) to sound like the English words for _Silent Killing_.

(2) _Coming and going._ When you enter and leave places, there are typical phrases said. In this case, coming and going from one's home. Leaving – ittekimasu (I'm leaving), itterasshai (take care). Returning – tadaima (I'm home), okaeri (welcome home/back). These phrases, however, didn't make the cut. (A little too complicated and not all that necessary). So, I've added the sayings in there to a point so that we still get the feel. There are several more phrases typically said when entering a room (and not your own home), however, I'll leave that for another time.

(3) _What?_ So far we've used three different Japanese phrases/words for the expression '_what_?' What the heck are we doing with this? All three words have slightly different meanings. '_Nan da_?' is the informal way of saying '_what the_?' And in this chapter we finally used the more formal version of '_what the_?', '_nani ka_?' Since it's (_nani ka_) not a complete sentence, it's still considered informal. So '_nan da'_ is more slang that you'd say with your friends, while '_nani ka'_ is a surprising slip. Finally we have simple '_what_?', or '_nani_?' So, the use of these three '_what_?' in our fan fiction shows lack of manners (Naruto saying '_nan da'_ to any Sensei) and different types of expressions (because '_what_?' is different than '_what the_?')

* * *

_AN:_ Okay so we've got to discuss a few things in this chapter. The first thing I'd like to talk about is Naruto and taijutsu. Now you may have noticed Kakashi stating that taijutsu is his weakest skill. Of course you're probably thinking that can't be it, genjutsu is his weakest skill. However, for the purpose of this story, we have classified the shadow clone jutsu as a genjutsu rather than ninjutsu. This will account for the earlier changes we made to the jutsu allowing Kakashi sensei to pinpoint the real Naruto. As such our shadow clones aren't nearly as powerful as the ones in the anime.

This brings me to my second point. Because of the lessened power of the shadow clones, Naruto's clones cannot withstand nearly as much damage as the one's in the anime/manga. So you can see we're trying to be consistent with our changes.

One last point, a few of you have wondered where Naruto's obsession with Hinata and fuuinjutsu comes from. Well, now I hope you get it. Anyway, thanks for reading and if you have any questions feel free to PM or contact us through our tumblr page. Chao.


	15. Demons in the Mist (Part 1)

**AN: **Howdy all, now first things first I'm the realist. Sorry, no seriously, I'd like to apologize for this late update. It was our birthday yesterday and honestly that and life just got in the way. I can't say this won't happen again, but you can bet we'll be trying our hardest to make sure it does not. Okay, so secondly I (BloodRed13) would like to make a formal retraction. Last chapter I made a bit of a no-no when trying to explain a concept we've changed. As so many (to include my twin) have pointed out, the kage bunshin jutsu while changed, is _**not**_ a simple genjutsu. _Our_ version of the jutsu _does_ have some genjutsu aspects, but it is not entirely a genjutsu.

That said, I'd like to note that Naruto's weakest area is still taijutsu, however, the better example of that is his mastery of the henge (which can/should be classified as such). However, if you are a purest and henge does not cut it for you another example would be his excellent chakra control. In order to do the fuuinjutsu that we've written, Naruto would need amazing chakra control and as it is commonly accepted that genjutsu requires excellent control _if_ Naruto was to attempt it he would be fairly decent at genjutsu. Unfortunately (or fortunately depending how you look at it), Naruto has no interest in genjutsu and is only willing to improve his taijutsu because it would put him on a more level footing with his Princess.

So basically, I'm apologizing for that rather clumsy mistake I've made and I'd like to welcome other such comments from you guys as it informs us how well we are conveying our story. On that note, we are also attempting to write little tidbits to help explain Naruto's attachment to Hinata, however, we have a lot on our plates so I apologize ahead of time if it doesn't make it out until the sequel. Anyway, go forth and enjoy.

**PS** – We still own nothing. Also, the full effect of this story is found on our tumblr page (link on my author's page).

**PPS** – Good news, we've almost finished introducing all the Japanese words we're going to use. Bad news the ones we used this chapter are a little more complicated then I'd like (except for obi that's pretty simple).

**Denshi jisho**

Yoroshiku onegaishimasu – in this chapter it is used as the following, 'please take care of Naruto-kun' (see culture corner for more info)

Hisashiburi – long time no see (informal) (see culture corner for more info)

Obi – belt like fabric worn with a kimono (see culture corner for more info)

* * *

_**Arc – C Ranks**_

_Chapter Eleven – Demons in the Mist (Part I)_

The sun's rays peaked through the heavy cover of leaves above, a thick green canopy blocking the quiet blue sky. A light breeze slipping through the trees, the brilliant green leaves shifting in its wake. Haku could taste the salt in the air as the wind blew through the long tendrils of his hair. It would be a nice day today. He had no doubt of that as he slowly picked his way through the forest. He'd taken his hair down and dressed in a light kimono going so far as to wear an obi around his waist. He was wonderfully comfortable. Although, it also helped that no one would recognize him for a shinobi in this, not even Gatou's thugs who he'd had the displeasure of meeting.

Birds fluttered among the branches surrounding him, humming soft songs overhead as they called to each other. A harmonious click, click, click sounded as squirrels scurried the rough surface of the nearby trees, their sharp nails tapping out a playful cadence against the hard bark. The seagull calls filled the air, a distant song as they hugged the town docks some miles away. Today really was too peaceful to be ruminating over Gatou's common thugs.

The birds dancing around him moved to follow a group further into the forest. It was strange behavior for this early in the morning. Strange but probably nothing to be concerned about. Sensing no immediate danger, Haku followed their path. Moving a low hanging branch out of the way, he looked out into a small clearing. Here the birds rested and pecked at a sleeping figure. Haku froze in place as recognition came over him. He knew that figure, sleeping peacefully as if he were a part of his very surroundings.

'Uzumaki-san?'

_Haku bent down to pull out the senbon keeping Zabuza-sama in a suspended state. No sooner was his hand on the needle did a larger hand grab his wrist. Dark eyes stared back at him, "I'll do that." Zabuza-sama's rough voice growled as he ripped the needle out of his neck. "Damn, you sure are rough. A little repressed rage, my tool?"_

_Haku shook his head at his master as he leaned backwards. "Zabuza-sama, you'll really die pulling them out like that." He replied ignoring the question altogether to focus on the recklessness of his master. He could have nicked his common carotid arteries. What was he to do with his master? "You shouldn't be so rough, master."_

"_How long are you going to wear that stupid mask?" Zabuza-sama demanded completely ignoring Haku's concern. But this was not something new with the two of them. _

_Taking the hunter-nin mask off, he spoke "It reminds me of the old days." He still remembered the fight that had gained them this mask. The blood on his hands could never be reversed. That poor hunter-nin hadn't stood a chance. Turning the mask over in his hand, he couldn't help but think how useful it was now at least normally, "But I suppose it was of no use for this act."_

"_What?" Zabuza-sama snapped._

"_The blond boy seemed to know I was with you from the start. I've come to the conclusion that he must have had one of his shadow clones in the clearing before we broke apart. I had thought someone was following me, but I couldn't catch anyone or see any evidence. I'm sorry, I've failed you Zabuza-sama."_

_His master growled roughly, "That damned blond gaki again." Haku had to agree, the blond Konoha shinobi was not an average Genin. _

_While Haku contemplated the information he'd gained from the fight, his master moved to stand. Quickly he tried to dissuade him of this foolish action. "You shouldn't be able to move for about a week…" But Zabuza-sama managed to stand with his own strength, although he was clearly favoring one leg over the other. His master proved time and time again that he was not your average shinobi, "Or maybe sooner."_

_But his master didn't manage to stand for much longer, falling back down to the ground as gracefully as an injured shinobi could. "A genjutsu user." Zabuza-sama moved on to the analysis as if he'd not just failed to stay standing._

_Haku moved with him. His master had already proved his strength, no average shinobi would have been able to move at all. "She was only high Genin maybe low Chuunin level in genjutsu. Not something that will be a problem for us."_

"_An Uchiha who hasn't awaken his Sharingan."_

"_He will be of no problem either, especially without his Sharingan. As you know most Uchiha don't ever awaken their doujutsu. I imagine he will never awaken his either."_

"_Hai, but that leaves the fuuinjutsu user. That damned blond gaki who can sneak up on _**you**_, Haku."_

_Haku said nothing in reply to that comment. What could he say, when it was true? Instead he moved on to the subject at hand. "He can perform kage bunshin no jutsu with large masses of clones without seeming to get tired. His fuuinjutsu is mid Chuunin level from what I observed, but his taijutsu is poor. So, if I can get in and out before he has time to set up his fuuinjutsu, he will be of little concern."_

"_Don't underestimate your opponents, Haku." His master replied harshly. Haku bent his head in acknowledgement of his error. He did not like to think that any Genin could give him trouble. No matter how talented. "To take out all three while I deal with Sharingan Kakashi will be difficult. Even for you, my little prodigy."_

"_I will not fail you again Zabuza-sama." Haku promised. He would do anything for his most precious of people, _anything_._

"_That's my precious tool." Zabuza-sama replied before falling into silence. A faraway look crossed his face as he thought. "I've never seen anyone use the shadow clone jutsu like that. Let alone a Genin." His master spoke absentmindedly. "His chakra reserves must be massive, Jounin level, maybe higher." Again his master paused in his own thoughts. "But it's that fuuinjutsu that I'm worried about. You're right, he's not using anything more than mid Chuunin level fuuinjutsu. Still, the way he implemented it was high Chuunin maybe even low Jounin level tactics. If not for his poor taijutsu skills he'd have been able to take out my clone on his own."_

_Haku had come to the same conclusion, "But his taijutsu is poor, very poor. I'm sure I can use that to my advantage when fighting against him."_

"_Maybe not as much as you think. At least not with the others to worry about as well." Zabuza-sama was silent for several moments as if following his thoughts down a deep path. His brow furred slightly, but enough to tell Haku that something was troubling his master._

"_What is it Zabuza-sama?"_

"_I thought they were all dead. Died well before your birth. Their village still lays in ruins, and none have heard the power of that clan since their destruction. But after watching the boy fight…" Haku waited for Zabuza-sama to continue. What was it about the blond boy that had his master so rattled? "I'm sure of it now. The fabled Uzumaki clan has returned."_

"_The Uzumaki clan?"_

"_Prodigies at fuuinjutsu with massive chakra reserves. Their Genin were known to have chakra reserves on the order of high Chuunin, and their Jounin's rivaled the Kage's." _

"_And yet they were destroyed." Haku pointed out. Why should they be worried about a clan that was so thoroughly defeated?_

_Zabuza-sama snorted at Haku's response. "When you're against three nations, sand, stone, and mist, you don't really stand a chance. They were gone before their allies could even send backup. So yeah, they were defeated, but the losses to the other nations…" Zabuza-sama grinned his bloodthirsty smile that sent chills down Haku's spine. "The whirlpool bloodbath left all three of those great shinobi villages weakened. It was not a battle to easily dismiss." Zabuza-sama turned his attention to Haku a serious expression on his face. "He's the one you'll have to watch out for Haku. The boy of the legendary Uzumaki clan."_

'Uzumaki-san, what are you doing out here alone?'

Taking a step closer, Haku could not refute the facts laid bare to him. Laying before him seemingly oblivious to his surrounds was the dangerous ninja his master spoke about with such excitement. Here was an obstacle to his master's goals. Alone and defenseless. He could end it now. He could kill him here as he slept peacefully. It would be simple, ending the life of this shinobi. Making it so that he would no longer be a threat. Making it so that he would be unable to cause them any more trouble.

Certain of his strength, Haku was confident he could defeat the Konoha shinobi in open conflict. However, why should he wait? Why wait for their final confrontation on the bridge, as certain as the sunrise and the ticking of time? Why wait when their mission would be so much _easier_ without the fuuinjutsu user to agonize over? Why wait when this single action would put Zabuza-sama, his most precious person, one step closer to his goals faster?

One more step and he'd be within the small clearing's borders. One more step and he'd be that much closer to securing his master's success. More than anything Haku wanted to be instrumental in his master's triumph. He needed to be a useful tool in his master's schemes. So he took that one step, entering into the small glade properly.

Overhead, the light sound of a solitary squirrel scurrying from branch to branch gave Haku pause. The constant pitter patter of small talons scraping against the hard tree bark had followed him the moment he'd entered this part of the forest. While not entirely unusual, their consistent presence coupled with one single fact held him back. Uzumaki-san had tracked _him. _Although he'd felt as if someone was there, he'd never suspected that he'd truly been followed, watched.

Haku resisted the urge to glance into the tree line as he took one steady step after another further into the clearing. The seemingly innocent movements of the wildlife, the constant patter of squirrels overhead, coupled with the benign way that the Konoha ninja lay about the glade rose his suspicions. This was all most likely a ruse. The most dangerous of the Konoha Genin would not be truly unguarded. Uzumaki-san was definitely more than he appeared.

Slowly, Haku continued his sedated pace into the clearing as he made his way towards the unconscious Genin. If he were being watched, then there was no point in retreating now. That would only give his intentions away. His only course of actions would be to continue. To continue forward as unthreatening as he could. At his approach, the once peaceful birds resting on and about Uzumaki-san's body flew away startled in surprise. Haku had always imagined that he'd had a unique relationship with the wildlife. They often came willingly to his side, unbothered by his presence. However, it would seem that Uzumaki-san truly had a way with animals. His presence blending in so well with his surroundings that they approached without pause.

Kneeing over the peaceful ninja, Haku expected an attack at any minute. He anticipated the movement of the secretly aware. Suspicion breaking him from his slumber as he pushed an unfamiliar person away. He expected some movement, any movement, but nothing happened. His hand moved to the blond boy's shoulder, not knowing his own intentions.

In the back of his mind, he envisioned how effortless it would be to eliminate the threat that was Uzumaki-san. Zabuza-sama had taught him well. He wouldn't even have to suffer. He'd die just like this, peacefully in his sleep. Warring with the idea was the certainty that he'd not get far before Uzumaki-san substituted away. Had he not witnessed his mastery of the skill nearly six days ago? But another stronger part of him, rebelled at the thought of ending his life, even if it was to help his most precious person.

Lucky enough Haku did not have to make that decision. Frozen at the piercing gaze of two bright blue eyes, Haku held himself back. His gaze trained on him, unthreatening, unworried, but observant nonetheless, Haku slowly pulled back his outstretched hand. 'Uzumaki-san, you are one very interesting shinobi.'

Sitting back on his heels Haku spoke. "You'll catch a cold sleeping in a place like this."

Uzumaki-san smiled up at him as he slowly rose from his prone position. The grey metal of his hitai-ate reflecting the light from the sun's rays. "Hahahaa. Yeah I guess that could happen, but I'll probably be fine. I'm pretty lucky when it comes to that kind of thing." Rubbing his nose, Uzumaki-san's smile never wavered. "Whatcha doing all the way out here?"

Haku stood as he spoke. "Picking herbs for my friend. He's badly injured, so I'm looking for plants that I can use for medicine." Haku had found countless times that sticking as close to the truth as possible always helped with deception.

Jumping to his feet, Uzumaki-san moved closer. "Want some help?" he asked rather enthusiastically.

Haku hesitated for only a second. This could be an attempt to kill him. Uzumaki-san could be trying to get Haku to let down his guard in order to attack. However, if that was the case, then the blond ninja would have likely already attacked. "Why yes, doumo."

The work went faster with the help of young Uzumaki-san. Soon enough he'd gathered everything he'd need to help Zabuza-sama. "Thank you for your assistance. It was very much appreciated."

"It was nothing," Uzumaki-san replied offhandedly before continuing. "You sure are working early, nee-san."

Haku didn't pause at the incorrect gender identification. He'd found out that it helped when people thought he was of the fairer sex. They often said and did things they wouldn't have felt comfortable displaying if he were a man. It was precisely why he'd changed into this kimono and worn the obi. That and it made him feel pretty. Innocent. "You too are working early. What are you doing here this early in the morning?"

"Training!" Uzumaki-san joyously replied. He'd adjusted his hitai-ate in the process, giving Haku an excellent opportunity to gain additional information from the young blond.

"Training? Your hitai-ate, could you be a ninja?"

"Yup! I'm a ninja, but not just any ninja." The blond paused dramatically, "I'm nearly a seal master!"

'As was most of your clan,' Haku thought still remembering Zabuza-sama's words. Disguising his true feelings, Haku replied with surprised awe. "Wow that sounds amazing. You must be incredibly strong."

"Hehehe. I'd like to think I'm pretty incredible, but I'm not a fuuinjutsu master yet. I've still got a long way to go, which is why I'm training!"

"May I ask why you are training so hard? You already seem so strong. Why do you need to train harder? Why do you wish to be a fuuinjutsu master?"

Uzumaki smiled more shyly this time. This small innocent smile seemed far more real than any of his other smiles this morning. So the blond shinobi had a mask as well. What created your mask, Uzumaki-san? "There's someone I fight for."

Haku was surprised. He'd been sure the young ninja would have said he wanted to become stronger for strength as was common in the ninja world. To want to become stronger for others, to fight for a precious person, that was truly extraordinary. "Why?" Haku replied softly. The word escaping him before he could rein in his curiosity. "Why do you fight for this person?"

Uzumaki-san smiled again that soft reserved smile. "To show the world why the Princess of Konoha is my best friend, to fight with her as an equal," he declared softly, his words quiet and yet fiercely determined.

"Princess of Konoha?" Haku whispered. He'd never heard of a princess in Konoha. Who was she to Uzumaki-san to inspire such resolve?

Uzumaki-san heard his whispered words, and answered. "Yeah, the Princess of Konoha. She's the most beautiful," Uzumaki-san stopped to look over at Haku, eyeing him up and down. "Sorry nee-san, but even more beautiful than you," he replied with a laugh in his voice as he rubbed his head in apology. "And she's the strongest ninja within Konoha. I've got a long way to go before I'm anywhere near her strength," Uzumaki-san finished wistfully.

"She can come off as a little cold, but that's just the way royalty is. She's not like a stuck up jerk or anything. No, she sees you. Whether you're a high ranking daimyo, or a lowly orphan. She _sees_ you. No one is beneath her gaze." Uzumaki-san's gaze looked out into the distance as if remembering a dream, "Not even me…" He spoke so softly that Haku wasn't even sure he'd really said anything else. Perhaps it was a trick of the wind, but the faraway look remaining in the blond's eyes made him think the words were no falsity, no ruse concocted by nature.

"She must be very important to you, this Princess of Konoha."

"My most precious person. When I train, when I fight, I think about the day we can fight together. That someday, she'll see me and know we're equals. And the rest of the world will follow. When we're together we'll be an unstoppable force, protecting our precious people together. Best friends for life!"

Haku smiled a true smile at the passion within this young boy. It shone brightly from his eyes and coated every word that left his mouth. It was genuine even in its innocence. "You will become strong because of her of that I'm sure." Haku turned to leave. "I hope we meet again someday."

"Maybe someday you can meet the Princess of Konoha too," Uzumaki-san replied optimistically.

Haku moved away slowly. Now that he had the herbs, he needed to get back to Zabuza-sama. Still, he couldn't help but think how Uzumaki-san would have made a great friend if only in a different lifetime. Haku tilted his head slightly in thought. He might as well tell him. Calling over his shoulder, Haku spoke. "Oh, and I'm a boy."

"Nan da!?"

Haku smiled another true smile as he left. In another life, it would have been nice to meet this Princess of Konoha…

* * *

Supper was a noisy affair with both the blond, happy looking shinobi and the dark, moody looking shinobi slurping and gulping down food faster than Inari thought physically possible. The constant clinking of chopsticks filling the air as table manners were completely forgotten. At least by the two male teammates sitting across from him. Their pink haired teammate, neither too annoyingly happy nor too depressingly moody, seemed like the only member of their pathetic team to remember her manners despite the fact that she was inhaling just as much food as her male counterparts.

They were noisy and childish, the noise coming from the blond alone enough to make any sane person gag. Laughing mid-chew, mouth wide and full. The teasing nature of their conversation filling the air, replacing the usual silence that had followed his father's…

Actually, when the silence had started didn't matter. What mattered was the scene in front of him, driving him crazy. Inari shifted in his seat. He could ignore the wild flurry of motion, chopsticks waving in the air as the three shinobi continued to eat. He could ignore the laughter that filled the room as they refilled their bowls, the action happening nearly as fast as they inhaled their food. He wouldn't let their actions break him from reality.

Sneering at the sight, Inari stared down at his bowl. There hadn't been this much movement, this much energy at the dinner table since… well for months, and he certainly didn't appreciate it now. They were all fools. Goofing off while eating, their pink haired teammate rolling her eyes at every little antic her male teammates committed. At this point, she should really be dizzy from it. Inari nearly scoffed. It was all so _pathetic_. They couldn't even _act_ like real ninjas.

Slowly bringing his chopsticks to his lips, Inari did his very best to ignore the others at the table. They thought they were so_ cool_, playing at heroes. Well _he_ knew the truth. There was no such thing as _heroes_. There were just men, the powerful and the weak, and they were all wicked in some way. They were all fools.

"Alright team, that's enough food. Anymore and you'll all puke," their silver haired Sensei spoke. In Inari's opinion he was just as bad if not worse than his team. He urged them on, pushed them to continue in their pointless efforts. He kept the lie alive. Inari chuckled softly to himself. Fools teaching fools, no wonder they couldn't be helped.

"But Sensei, we _have_ to eat more. How else are we going to have the energy to train harder tomorrow?" the blond idiot asked, his chopsticks lowered to the table as he turned to face his Sensei.

Inari glanced up from his own bowl to see the silent emo one nodding in agreement his bowl lowing in the process. While not as loud, he was just as bad as the blond. Always training, wasting his time and effort on a hopeless cause. When would they _learn_?

"Puking won't help anyone's training," their Sensei countered.

"Hai, Sensei," they all echoed. It was reflexive, a reply that they'd become accustom to giving, and Inari was surprised to hear it. He was surprised at the ease that they'd given in. Without protest, without words, they'd all just stopped eating without further complaint. Sheep the lot of them. Spineless. How they expected to fight against a man like Gatou was beyond him. They would die. Inari was sure of it. Braver men then them had tried and failed. They were fighting a pointless battle and for the life of him he couldn't figure out _why_.

"Why?" Inari finally allowed the question to leave him, hitting the air at little more than a whisper.

"Huh?" Uzumaki-san replied, his sharp blue gaze shifting over to meet Inari's lowered eyes. He'd finally voiced the question that was always on his mind. Eyes flicking up, black met blue and the unbridled image that he'd been fighting for so long flashed across his vision. Black hair replaced blond, warm black eyes replaced piercing blues as the word formed in his mind. 'Otousan.' And in that instant he no longer had control. He no longer had the strength to keep the anger locked away and hold the tears at bay.

A wetness dripped down his face as he threw his bowl down, no longer content to sit in silence pretending. He couldn't pretend that they had a chance, and he wasn't going to let them continue living in their fantasy. "_Why_? Why bother? Why bother training when no matter how long or how hard you train you'll _never_ be strong enough to defeat Gatou and his men?!" Inari yelled, his eyes pinning each of them as he paused to take a breath.

"No matter what grand claims you make, or how glorious you think you are you'll never _win_! When faced with the strong, the _powerful_, the weak _always_ lose! In the end, you'll only get killed!" Inari could feel the tears fall harder, faster as the last image he had of his father raced to the surface. Broken, defeated, dead _that_ was what would happen to these kids playing hero. Far better men than them, these foreign ninja, had suffered a similar fate. Like them, they would die trying.

Inari ignored the silence that filled the room, breaking the happy mood that had once filled the air surrounding their house guests. 'What can you say to _that_? To the _truth_,' he thought, furiously rubbing away the tears still pouring down his face.

"Good thing you're no ninja. Someone like _you_ could _never_ be one," the blond fool stated dismissively.

Anger raced through Inari's veins, boiling his blood as he bit back a retort. "I don't _want_ to be a ninja! I'll _never_ want to be a ninja! Not like _you_! Sitting here laughing when you know _nothing_ about the _real_ world! You know _nothing_ about this country. What we've been through. What we've _seen_! And you think you can just come here and _what_?! Change everything! Help us! You're all just dreaming fools, playing at heroes, and I _hate_ it! I hate ninja like you!" Inari bellowed, his rage taking over, shaking his small body by its intensity. He burned with a hate he'd never known. His angry gaze raking over each person sitting across from him, ninja and family alike.

Inari couldn't tell who he was angry at more. These foreign ninja who could never understand their plight, or his family who did understand and still allowed these people to give them hope. Turning back to face the blond shinobi, the one who had dared to speak up when he couldn't possibly understand, Inari poured all of his rage into his next words.

"And _you_! You're the worst of them! Always clowning around, always cheerful without a single care in the world! Well, news flash, the world isn't all rainbows and butterflies! _My_ world isn't filled with smiles and laughter! But of course, you could never understand _that_! Not when you've never known _true_ hardship, _real_ sadness! For you, life will always be sunshine and daisies because you don't _know_ the real world, how unfair it can really be!" Inari finished, his little chest moving up and down, huffing, struggling to breathe as he tried to stare down the blond ninja.

He expected the ninja to look down embarrassed. How could he compare his wonderful life to the hell that Inari lived in everyday? He expected an apology, sincerity as the blond realized the truth. However, that wasn't what he got.

"So it's okay for you to pose as the star of your own little tragedy and _cry_ all day?" the blond snapped, clearly angered by Inari's words. Likely he just couldn't handle the truth being thrown in his face. Inari frowned. He was even more pathetic than he'd originally thought.

"What could you possibly know?" he shot back, unwilling to shy away. The truth had to be told, and he was going to _make_ this idiot understand.

"Oh, I know a heck of a lot, but that doesn't matter. You just keep on crying. Cry forever like the coward that you are. Go ahead and just give up! I don't expect a _civilian_ like you to understand. I don't expect a _civilian_ like you to understand what courage really means," he shouted, turning away from Inari as he sat back in his seat.

"No _you_ don't understand _reality_! But go ahead, live in that fantasy world you keep dreaming about! I don't know why I even bother because _that's_ all you'll ever know!" Inari countered angrily.

"Spoken like a true civilian. That man." Inari followed his finger as he pointed to the picture on the mantle. It was the same one he'd torn apart. The same one that had taught him the meaning of reality. That dreams were impossible and that injustice could not be defeated. "_He_ was a man of hope, a man of strength. He had the true spirit of a true shinobi. And _you_! All of your crying and whimpering and empty preaching dishonors _him_. _You_ dishonor his strength! _You_ dishonor his sacrifice! _You_ dishonor his _absence_!"

'That fool!' Inari thought as the tears came faster. 'What does _he _know? My father…my father…' A harsh sob left his lips as he covered his eyes, trying to block the image of his broken body.

"That's enough, Naruto!" Inari could hear the words their female teammate spoke, but it was a worlds away. There was nothing but that image. Death, clouding his mind.

Inari didn't noticed the looks being shared around the table. He didn't note the blond turning to his teammates about to protest, stopping only at the looking in his Sensei's one eye. He barely even noticed the blond's exit. A muffled humph followed by a short 'I'm finished anyway' as he got up from the table. All Inari could see was sadness as he questioned all that he knew to be true. 'Was that fool really right? Was he dishonoring his father?' he thought as the tears continued to pour.

"Inari…" their Sensei spoke softly, bring Inari from his own spiraling thoughts.

He refused to look, refused to give them the satisfaction of seeing just how broken he was.

"Inari-kun, Naruto-kun… He…" the man tried again. Floundering as he searched for words, likely attempting to comfort him. He'd soon find out how useless that task was, like their mission. His sorrow stemmed from knowing the truth, and you couldn't change reality.

"He's an orphan," the black haired teammate blurted out tactlessly, saving his Sensei from further embarrassment.

"Orphan?" the word left his mouth unwillingly. He just couldn't see how that was possible. All the orphans he knew…well, they were like him. Miserable when faced with reality.

"Hai, he probably understands what you're going through better than any of us," their Sensei explained, finally finding his voice.

"The dope knows what it's like to be alone," the moody one stated, his dark eyes meeting Inari's without hesitation.

"And he doesn't really mean what he said," their female teammate added. She probably thought she was being comforting, lying to him, but Inari knew the truth. Passion like that came from words you meant. At least, that's what his father had always said.

"Actually, I imagine it's something he's told himself over and over again," the masked man stated, his head tilted up in thought.

"Never give up," the dark haired one whispered, his Sensei nodding in his direction.

"The Baka means well, just… sometime he doesn't use his head."

"I…" Inari began, choking on his words. He needed to get out of here, needed time to think. "I've got to go," he finished, hastily sliding from his seat as he ran out of the room nearly tripping on his feet in the process. He didn't want to be pandered to. He didn't want to learn any more about Uzumaki-san. He didn't want to know that Uzumaki-san might understand. That he did understand, did know the evils of the world and could still stand strong, still face the world without tears in his eyes.

Inari ran. Letting his feet take him to a place where he knew he'd be alone. A place where no one would find him. A place where he could think.

Stopping, Inari stared across the waters. Images of happier times filling him. Fishing, just him and his father. Swimming as a family. There had been happier times, he just wasn't strong enough to keep those feelings with him.

Sighing, Inari plopped to the ground. 'Uzumaki-san…how can you be _so_ strong?' he asked himself as his fingers found a nearby rock. Rolling it in his hand, he looked across the still waters. It reminded him so much of his father. Those few precious years they'd spent together. Time he'd spent learning and living. A time when he'd been happy. He didn't _want_ to cry. He wanted to be strong like his father. But it hurt so much, every day, every memory, and he didn't know how to not hurt anymore.

Inari jumped as a silent figure sat next to him. "Nani!" he yelled in surprise.

Blond locks framed a shadowy face as Inari's eyes slowly adjusted to the moonlight. "Nice night isn't it," Uzumaki-san stated, his head turned out towards the water.

Uzumaki-san was just so…unaffected. Sitting calmly beside him as if the last thirty minutes hadn't happened. "Go away," Inari ordered firmly. "I don't want to talk to you," he finished, looking away from the figure sitting next to him.

The hit to the back of his head came as a complete surprise. "To bad! Because I'm here to talk to you," Uzumaki-san announced as Inari turned back to face him, lightly rubbing at his head.

Inari stared at him hard. He could get up. He could walk away and never hear another word from the ninja sitting next to him. He was sure if he did, Uzumaki-san wouldn't come after him. He wouldn't bother him again. If he'd wanted to he didn't have to listen to him, but something was holding him in place.

"I'm sorry about earlier. You know, for yelling at you," Uzumaki-san began and Inari couldn't stop the snort that bubbled up from him.

"How can you be sorry if you're not even real? You're just a clone coming to do his master's work because he felt guilty for yelling at a kid. You can tell the real one not to bother. I'll be alright so he can sleep fine tonight," Inari stated before turning away. He wouldn't be pitied. Not by anyone.

The hit to the back of his head really shouldn't have surprised him. After all, that seemed like Uzumaki-san's go to reaction. "You know you're one heck of a gaki." His statement brought Inari's attention back to him, ready to protest. "But I'm the real deal. Uzumaki Naruto the greatest fuuinjutsu master to ever live! Believe it!" Uzumaki-san finished, not allowing Inari time to let his protest leave his lips. Resigned that this was the real Uzumaki-san and he wasn't getting out of this, Inari turned back to the water in front of him.

For a while, they sat in silence. Inari clutching the rock still held tightly in his grip as he thought about the boy sitting next to him. Uzumaki-san was an orphan. He'd lost _both_ of his parents, but why didn't _he_ cry? Why didn't he complain? How could he be so happy? How did he do it?

"How?" the question left his lips as nothing more than a whisper. It was just one more thing he couldn't understand.

"Huh?" the blond asked as he turned to face Inari.

"How do you do it?" he asked, watery black eyes meeting strong blues as he glanced over at the blond. There had to be a way to live. If Uzumaki-san could do it. There just had to be.

Uzumaki-san's gaze peered into him for a second longer as his smile dropped, gaze serious before turning away, focusing on some spot in the distance. "What do you see, Inari?" he asked instead of answering the question.

"Huh?" Confused, Inari gazed out at the scene before him. "Water, trees?"

"And lightening bugs, the soft sound of the animals in the forest, and the fish within the water below us." There was a distant look to Uzumaki-san's eyes as he spoke. "The world is beautiful. Full of life, and energy. And _nothing_ can destroy that beauty, not even Gatou."

Inari scoffed at that. They were clearly not living with the same truth. "No, he can destroy this beauty like he's done with everything else. He can tear down those trees. He can burn the forest to the ground, killing all the animals within. He can pollute the waters. Nothing can stop him. Life doesn't' last forever."

"That may be true, but even in ash life will grow. Some animals will live and some fish will survive. Not all life can be polluted. Not all life can be destroyed. And it's _their_ life, no matter how small or how few in number, that will _always_ be beautiful," Uzumaki-san replied. Inari could not fault his logic. In this Naruto-san was right. But Inari couldn't see how that could help him.

"But what does that have to do with how you _survived_? How do you overcome loneliness when you're surrounded by all this wrong in this world?" he asked as their eyes met again.

"By remembering that there is _always _some good in this world. And it's that good that will _always_ out weight the bad."

"Like your Princess of Konoha?" Inari asked timidly. Despite how short a stay they'd had, most of which Inari had spent as far away from them as possible, he felt like he knew the Princess of Konoha. She must have been the good in the world that Naruto-san held on to.

"Yeah," Naruto-san replied softly, a smile on his lips. "The Princess of Konoha and the wildlife that surrounds us. They remind me that no matter how dark it gets, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Good will always exist in this world."

Inari sighed heavily, it was nice. It was _really_ nice, but he didn't have a Princess of Konoha, and he didn't think the forest animals would be enough. Not for him. "But I'm not you Naruto-san. I'm not strong enough for that to be enough," Inari admitted, looking away in shame.

The warm pat on his shoulder, brought him back to the conversation as Inari looked up at the blond boy beside him. "That doesn't make you weak, Inari-kun," Naruto replied before his face broke out in a wide grin. "I _might_ also have a guide book that helps too."

"Hontou ni?" Inari asked, hope cracking his voice.

"Yup!" Naruto nodded, puffing out his chest in the process. "I call it the Master Pranking Rules of Life!"

At those words, Inari's face fell. "Pranking. I don't want to be a prankster." He sighed. It didn't seem like Naruto could help him after all.

"Hey now! It's more than a pranking rule book. It's a way of life!"

Inari stared at him in disbelieve. How was learning how to prank someone any way similar to life? "I don't believe you."

"Find I'll explain it to you. Now we'll start with rule number one…" Naruto paused, his eyes glancing out over the waters before turning back to look at Inari. "You know, I think rule number seventeen might be a better one to start with. It's a better fit for your situation right now anyway. Okay, now remember this: never look back because it will only slow you down."

Skeptical, Inari eyed Naruto before replying. "How does _that_ apply to life?"

"Right now, you're looking back, dwelling on the past. But, the thing about the past is, you can't change it. What's happened has happened. Dwelling on that only stops you from living in the here and now. It's slowing you down."

Inari looked down at the rock in his hands. That was kind of useful, but… "Does that mean to just forget about it? The past? Because I _can't_ do that. I won't forget about Otousan!"

Naruto chuckled lightly at Inari, tossing his hair. "No, it means that you remember the past, you keep it with you, but you don't spend your life looking back on it. You move forward, Inari-kun. You stay strong for the _here_ and _now_ with the people you _do_ have. You better yourself for the future you can see ahead. But you _never_ look back."

Inari glanced over at Naruto, and really _looked_ at him. He was more than laughs, but he was also more than the pain. He could bounce back from _anything_. A warmth bloomed in his chest. He remembered this feeling… Hope. "Can you tell me more rules, Naruto-nii? I want to learn them all," Inari questioned. For the first time in a long time, he had something to look forward to. He had hope. And he was going to learn every rule Naruto-nii had. He would learn them all, because the master pranking rules was a way of life Inari wanted to live by.

* * *

Sakura pushed up from the table, sliding her chair back as they headed for the door. Breakfast had been a short affair, filled with calm conversation, lacking the same buzzing energy that could only be provided by her blond teammate. As weeks went, this had been a rather taxing one. Of course neither she nor Sasuke-kun had been reckless enough to overwork themselves in training, but Naruto was Naruto. He would always be reckless.

Sakura sighed as they crowded the doorway. "Yoroshiku onegaishimasu, Tsunami-san," Kakashi-sensei requested of their host with a short bow. "Naruto-kun's pushed his body to the limit. I don't think he'll be able to move today," the one eyed man continued with a quick look up the stairs.

'**Baka! Always overdoing it. If he's still knocked out tomorrow, we'll wring his neck!'** Her inner voice complained. While his clones were still out and about surveying the area, his presence would be missed. **'I swear, if we end up having to do a shit ton of work because that **_**idiot**_** couldn't remember the meaning of take a damn **_**break**_**, then we'll make him regret it!'**

"It will be my pleasure, Kakashi-sensei." Tsunami-san replied."You ready Tazuna-san?" Sensei asked, one hand already on the door.

"Yeah, let's get out of here," the old man announced. While he was no longer constantly drunk, he still wasn't the most pleasant of people to be around. **'Does that old fart even know the meaning of a fucking bath! I refuse to stand behind his smelly ass!'** Sakura's inner voice raved. Wrinkling her nose, she was loath to agree with her inner thoughts as Kakashi-sensei opened the door, but Tazuna-san did smell like ass. Not bothering to let Sasuke-kun have first pick of positions, she moved quickly to take point so that Tazuna-san would be down wind of her nose.

The walk to the bridge was as peaceful as it had been the day before. Birds flying in the trees, the wildlife alive with motion, a light mist covering the water's surface. It was a beautiful day, but something kept nagging at the back of her mind. Despite how normal the atmosphere appeared, there was definitely something wrong. Now if only she could figure out what.

Reaching the bridge's edge first, that something off that had been plaguing her for the majority of the walk only intensified. The bridge, still a work-in-progress was quiet, too quiet. Already on high alert, the first body sent her in motion. Hands flying, she relayed the discovery to her trailing teammates, waiting only a second for Kakashi-sensei's acknowledgement before breaking from formation.

While her medical knowledge was extremely limited, she certainly had a better grasp of simple first aid than Sasuke-kun. Of course Kakashi-sensei knew more, however his expertise were needed elsewhere. Clearly, Zabuza had fully recovered and no matter how much they'd gained in strength, neither she nor Sasuke-kun would be a match against him.

Dropping to her knees beside the downed worker, the peripherals of her vision picking up several more still forms lining the edge of the bridge, Sakura checked for the man's vitals. 'Please be alive,' she thought as she went through the motions described in her book, sighing in relief at the steady heartbeat beneath her fingers. Her job not done, Sakura quickly ran her eyes along the length of the worker's body, her hands deftly following the path. 'Okay, good. No sign of injury. He's just unconscious,' she concluded before retreating back to her teammates, taking up her mantle beside Tazuna-san as the man finally reached the center of the bridge.

"Wha-wha-what _is_ this?" Tazuna-san stuttered out at the sight before him. If Sakura had had the time, she would have empathized with the man. Dozens of his workers lay prone and unmoving. At first glance, lifeless and dead to the world. However, she didn't have time to waste on such emotions and thoughts. She had a job to do.

"Report." Kakashi-sensei's calculating voice broke her internal thought process as she catalogued the entire scene in front of them.

"Unconscious and unresponsive. Likely rendered unconscious via genjutsu, perhaps a mass wave of killer intent," Sakura replied as she reported the most logical scenario.

"What, what _happened_?" Tazuna-san gasped, unable to comprehend the sight of his workers' unmoving bodies.

"A monster," Kakashi-sensei replied, steel lacing his voice as his eyes scanned the bridge. As the words left his mouth, the mist rose from the still waters below, thickening in a familiar pattern. "Here they come," Kakashi-sensei announced, slipping a kunai from his pouch. "Everyone at the ready. You know what to do."

Her own kunai clutched firmly in her hands, Sakura ran through a host of jutsu she could use. She knew what her role would be today and it wouldn't be easy, not in this mist. Sasuke-kun shifted in his spot, his eyes frantically scanning the area, piercing through the thick mist. Sakura could feel his excitement from here. He was ready for this challenge. Ready to face an unnamed opponent like they'd planned. He was ready for the unseen, brimming with energy barely contained. He was ready and she knew for a fact that so was she. They could do this. **'Let's own these bitches!'** Her inner voice raved as a familiar voice invaded the thick clouds of gray.

"Hisashiburi Kakashi," Zabuza's dark voice chuckled. The hollow tone seemed to come from everywhere at once. It was meant to be intimidating, but he'd used that jutsu on them before. They hadn't faltered then, they wouldn't falter now. **'Bring it you little spineless bitch! Can't even face us like a man. Don't worry. We're about to wipe the floor with your ugly ass mug!'**

"I see you're still with those gaki, useless tools the lot of them," Zabuza continued, the laughter completely gone from his voice. Sakura cringed, she was no one's tool. None of them were. **'Oh HELL no! We'll see who's useless in a second!'** Finally agreeing with her inner voice, Sakura moved fluidly through a set of hand signs. She wasn't going to waste time while this idiot talked. If she knew Naruto like she thought, then one of his clones would be just close enough for her to use this jutsu.

"But where is your little fuuinjutsu user?" Zabuza inquired just as Sakura finished her jutsu, the mumbled words just barely leaving her lips. "No matter, the end result will be the same."

Melting into existence, Zabuza's form littered the bridge top. Five water clones surrounding them, each lifting a heavy sword as they rushed the bridge builder. Dodging the quick strikes from the clones' wild swings, Sakura didn't need to look over at Sasuke-kun to know he was handling this barrage with just as much ease as she was. Slipping to the left, Sakura allowed Zabuza's clones to pass her, hoping beyond hope that Sasuke-kun wasn't too far gone in his battle fever to miss the movement.

"I see your tools have improved," Zabuza's voice echoed around the area as Sakura continued to edge left. Across from her, she could see Sasuke-kun mirroring her movements as they both moved away from the center. "But it won't be enough!" His voice rang out clear as all at once his clones attacked Tazuna-san standing in the center of the bridge. Each massive sword piercing a different part of the body. "You've failed…" he began as Tazuna-san's body flickered, his image growing hazy as he disappeared, revealing their orange clan teammate instead.

"Boom," the Naruto clone stated before he imploded, taking out all five water clones in the process.

"But how?" Zabuza's disembody voice questioned as water rained down on them. "_You_," he accused as Tazuna-san's body flickered back into existences behind her. Sakura barely had time to lift her kunai into place before Zabuza was on her. The heavy weight of his large sword straining against the two kunai she had in place deflecting the blow.

"So you're not the same useless gaki as before," he taunted as he pressed down harder. Pushing chakra into her limbs, Sakura held strong. It would only be a matter of time, before Kakashi-sensei intervened. She could hold out for him to develop his plan. "But this changes nothing. You cannot win," he continued, nearly bring her to her knees.

Suddenly, Sakura was yards away, Tazuna-san still at her back, and Kakashi-sensei was fending off Zabuza's attack. "Good job Sakura-chan, but this fight is mine," Kakashi-sensei stated as he pushed hard against Zabuza, the unexpected change in force throwing him across the bridge.

"Ah, Copycat Kakashi to the rescue," Zabuza taunted, picking himself up from the ground. "You should have let her _die_. It would have been quick and painless. Well, _mostly_ painless," he finished as he hefted his sword across his shoulders.

"I will _never_ abandon my allies. That's something you could never understand," Kakashi-sensei countered as he slowly closed the distance.

"A tool is only as good as its usefulness. _That's_ something that _you_ should understand," Zabuza replied, shifting in his spot. From Sakura's vantage point, he was ready for whatever Kakashi-sensei gave him.

"Give up now, Zabuza. You can't win. Not against me _and _my team. Not alone," Kakashi-sensei stated, as he continued to circle Zabuza, moving so that his back was towards them.

"Oh, but that's the best part. I'm not alone. Like you, I have my own tool. Your team may have taken out my water clones. They may have even put up an admiral effort in defense of that bridge builder, but they'll _never_ win. Not against Haku," Zabuza countered, just as another figure materialized from the still thick mist. "But hey, at least they'll put up a good fight, right Haku," he continued, addressing his companion, who'd materialized several yards away from the circling Jounin.

"Perhaps Zabuza-sama, however, I was hoping to fight the fuuinjutsu user. The Uzumaki clan produces legends. Their exploits the subject of fairytales," the masked figure stated. Sakura bristled at the clear dismissal, her inner voice raving. Naruto was good, but he wasn't the only talented member of their team. **'We'll make this dumb fuck regret the day he underestimated us!'**

Suddenly, Sasuke-kun rushed their masked opponent, his own rage at the obvious slight laid bare for her to see. Kunai flashing in a rush of motion, Sasuke-kun's attack was deflected. The masked Haku barely moving from his spot. "Well, it looks like you're stuck with me," Sasuke-kun announced as he jumped back, creating some space between the two. "And I'm about to teach you why Naruto is considered the weakest on our team."

"Stop hiding under that mask and face us like a man," Sakura taunted, too revved up to stay quiet. Cracking her knuckles, Sakura prepared herself to fight. Grinning, Naruto was going to hate himself for missing all the fun. **'Serves him right! That Baka doesn't even deserve the experience of seeing us crush this loser into the ground!'** Her inner voice raged, just as geared up as Sakura herself. 'This will teach him to overdo it,' she thought, acknowledging the presence of his clones which were sure to fill him in on all that he missed.

"Sakura, you'll let me have this one won't you?" Sasuke-kun asked, bring her from her thoughts.

"I don't know, Sasuke-kun. This masked idiot is pissing me off. I don't think I can let you have him all by yourself," Sakura replied. Normally, she'd let Sasuke-kun have the fight, but she _had_ severely outpaced him in training. She'd probably have the upper hand. Plus, she wasn't sure she wanted to listen to her inner voice rage about getting stuck guarding Tazuna-san again.

"I'll owe you lunch."

'**Hell yeah! We'll let you at this fucker first!'** Her inner voice nearly screamed, mentally jumping up and down in glee. "Fine," Sakura replied instead. She wanted to play a _little_ hard to get after all. "But if you start to struggle, I won't hold back. You aren't the only one insulted that this masked jerk would rather fight Naruto-baka."

"Ha, I guess it's a good think the dope overslept," Sasuke-kun laughed, taking a step closer to their masked opponent. "This is going to be fun," he grinned, lightly twirling a kunai in his right hand. "Can you challenge me? Push me to the edge?" he asked, encroaching on the masked Haku's space. "I want to know."

"Hopefully, I won't disappoint," Haku replied, pulling out a handful of senbon. "You'll have to tell me before you die," he finished before rushing forward, Sasuke-kun meeting him halfway.

Sakura shifted backwards, keeping Tazuna-san in her sights as she watched the battle unfold. She could feel the presence of Naruto's clones in the background, shifting on and off the bridge as he moved Tazuna-san's workers to safety. Despite the constant presence of his clones, she doubted the idiot would make it out of bed in time to help them. He'd been dead to the world when they'd left. The probability of him waking from that level of exhaustion was low. Of course, knowing him, he'd probably manage to show up anyway, spouting nonsense about how the hero always arrived at the last possible minute. Sakura sighed. That would be just like Naruto.

* * *

**KJ's Culture Corner**

(1) _Yoroshiku onegaishimasu._ I wasn't sure if we should use the Japanese for this or not. If you've studied Japanese, then you know this phrase has many uses that can't really be directly translated into English. In fact, yoroshiku onegaishimasu could have been substituted for hajimemashite (which we didn't get to use as _BloodRed_ vetoed it). If you can't remember what that means, no worries. It's used in introductions, so I wanted to use it for the Naruto and Hinata first official meeting in Chapter One all those years ago… However, in this instants we're using it to mean 'Please take care of Naruto, and everything that comes with that care'. So, if at least ten people absolutely hate it (i.e. breaks up the flow to much), then I'll use a rough English translation.

(2) _Long time no see._ I really wanted to use the Japanese for this 'hisashiburi', which is informal with a little sass, so I did. It's a pretty common phrase in Japanese, used often enough that you'll definitely see it again.

(3) _Honorifics._ So we use a lot of different honorifics. All of the common ones, -san (Mr./Mrs./Miss.), -kun (boyish endearment), -chan (child/girl endearment), -sama (master or mistress), and -dono (lord or lady). More importantly, is the way we use each honorific. Did you notice the change in Kakashi's use of honorific for each of his students? By the end of Chasing Dreams he has grown closer to each of his students, no longer is it Ms. Sakura, but Sakura-_chan_. His innocent students. Moreover, is the difference in his treatment of Naruto, who he has always given the honorific of -kun. We use it not only in dialogue, but as characterization.

Inari grows with his closeness to Naruto. Naruto goes from Uzumaki (the absence of an honorific means friendship or disrespect depending on the relationship between the two individuals) to Naruto-nii (where -nii signifies brotherly bond). And then there's Anko, who is often given the -kun honorific because of her tomboyish behavior. These are just a few of the ways we use honorifics. More importantly, these are a few of the reason why we won't stop using them. I apologize if this is frustrating for anyone here who just wants to enjoy a good (I think so anyway), Naruto x Hinata fan fiction. I'm just not sure we could get the same meaning behind each use of the honorifics without using them. To be honest in most cases, there just isn't a way to write it in English so it has the same meaning. Gomen ne.

(Side note: the most important reason why we use honorifics outside of pure dialogue is simply to assist with voice and characterization. Each section is written from a different person's point of view. So even the non-dialogue parts are a part of their internal monologue. As such we include the honorifics here.)

**Extended Japanese Culture Corner!** (Haven't done one of these since the start…)

(0.1ef2) [Yeah, I just made that up.] _The obi._ So, BR13 says I've got to discuss the obi. Honestly, I just assumed everyone has seen _Memoirs of a Geisha_, but I guess that's not actually a thing. So, assuming you haven't watched the movie (or read the book), or know anything about kimonos (All of which is a real possibility, I'm told. *Looks over shoulder at BR's glaring face.*), then I'll give you the down low. An obi is a key component of the kimono. The male obi is very narrow (more like a belt), while the female formal obi can be very wide (like a foot sometimes), long as fuck (some can be more than 13 ft in length) and have intricate designs on it.

Now Haku isn't wearing one of these formal female obi's, but an everyday obi that seems to be wrapped more like a female obi. (Of course this is guessing, as there's only so much you can tell from an image. But it does look to be wider than 4 inches, which is atypical for a male obi. Side note: this would also explain why he expected to be misgendered.) So, we went with the idea that he was wearing a female obi (although a little plain).

KJ


	16. Demons in the Mist (Part 2)

**_AN: _**Howdy all, I know some of you aren't all that excited for this arc (the Wave mission has been done a lot), but this is the last chapter in this arc. So yeah. And while some of you had some great ideas about how to really spice this up, we've had this written for a while so they couldn't be used. Sorry. Now I'd like to make one thing very clear. This chapter _is_ important. It is not some throw away chapter placed in here just to get us from point A to point B. And although you may notice some things that are rather similar to other fiction changes. I can assure you that what we've done with future chapters does _not_ match up to that.

In other news, I'd like to announced that there are three more chapters (after this one) until we get to the second half of this story (the Chuunin Exams). While I'll tell you all this again next week, we will be releasing the next three chapters in two weeks then we'll be taking a one week break to finalize the next few chapters. As you may have guessed, those chapters are Hinata centric so while they are important, the pace does slow a bit. Hopefully, this slightly faster release will make up for the slowed pace. Anyway, thanks for reading and enjoy.

**PS** - We still own nothing. And as always, you can get the full experience on our tumblr page (see my author's page for the link).

**PPS** - Well, would you look at that, no new words. However, as this is a fighting heavy chapter, we have included the jutsu list below:

_New Jutsu List_

Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishou – secret technique, thousand water needles

Hijutsu: Makyou Hyoushou – secret technique, demonic mirroring ice

Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu – fire release, giant fire ball special technique

Hijutsu: Hissatsu Hyuosou – secret technique ice spikes (this is a smaller more controlled version of the move that Haku used to kill his father)

* * *

_**Arc – C Ranks**_

_Chapter Twelve – Demons in the Mist (Part II)_

Naruto startled awake as memories flooded his mind. 'Shimatta! The attack's started. Zabuza's back and he's got his friend with him. My team needs me,' he thought as he quickly reviewed the images in his head. Jumping out of his borrowed futon, Naruto nearly leapt out of his pajamas as he rushed to change his cloths.

Moving to the window, Naruto paused. He could run to the bridge, but that would take longer than he really wanted. Of course, he had several clones in the area, but his usual substitution was so short range that it would actually be slower than just running through the trees. Without conscious thought, Naruto's hand dropped to his sealing scroll. He could use it, the new seal his clones had been working on. Sure it wouldn't get him straight to the bridge, but he'd be able to traverse the distance faster than he could run it.

His clones had managed to get farther than he would have with the long distance seal while still being able to work on a couple of other seals during the past week. Altogether, they'd managed to complete nearly five times the amount of sealing work he could complete alone. He was going to have to remember how useful they really were. The possibilities were nearly _endless_.

Shaking his head, Naruto quickly unsealed his scroll. Closing his eyes, he took one more shaky breath before refocusing his concentration. He would need to locate the clones he could actually use for this seal. Luckily all of his clones where now wearing the other half of his new distance seal. All Naruto had to do was find the ones far enough away for this to be useful, yet close enough for it to actually work.

Concentrating on the flow of his own chakra, Naruto slowly widen his awareness to include all of the identical signatures in the area. His clones were just a reflection of himself, the same in almost every way. If it wasn't for the varying strength in each clones chakra, solely dependent on how long the clone had been out and active, Naruto wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between one and the other. In one slow breathe, he located his clones' positions, the majority of which were near the bridge, but there were some on their way. They'd do.

Summoning a clone, Naruto quickly dispelled it without a thought. Now that everyone knew the new plan it was time to go help his teammates.

'Here I come Team Seven. Wait for me!'

"Kai!"

Naruto felt like he was being pulled by his navel, falling in every which way. But nearly as quickly as it had arrived, the intense feeling was gone, leaving him perched awkwardly on a tree branch. He was sure muscle memory was the only reason he'd managed to stick himself to the branch instead of tumbling head first to the ground. Now, just two more of those.

Two substitutions later found Naruto toppling into the water, sinking before he could regain control of his chakra. He was going to have to practice that. He'd completely missed the last tree branch after his luck of catching the first one had apparently run out. Now, he was swimming in water he should have easily been able to land on top of. No matter how many times his clones did it, he just wasn't ready when he had to do it too. He'd have to remember that there was a _real_ difference between physical experience and clone memories.

A small sigh escaped him, at least he'd gotten here faster than running. Peaking his head over the water he was met with a thick mist. The sound of fighting rang out in the distance. Loud and clear as the bridge was nearly above his head, but other than that he could see nothing.

Memories suddenly came to him in waves. He'd helped Sakura get Tazuna-san out of harm's way and replaced him with a clone. Clone number six it would seem was henged as the old man with no one, other than Sakura, the wiser. 'Good thinking Sakura, now we can fight without worrying about the old man's safety.' Naruto swam slowly under the bridge finding the center easily enough.

'Hopefully, Sasuke will be alright for a little while without me,' he thought as he began pulling his seal writing equipment from his jacket. He was going to need some time to complete the seal he had in mind, especially since he didn't want to draw attention to himself by summoning clones to help. A pair of memories came to him as he worked. 'That jerk better be alive when I'm done.'

* * *

Sasuke's kunai held Haku at bay as they exchanged blows once more. Jumping away from the enemy ninja, Sasuke waited. Analyzing his opponent's every move. This was no spar. A wrong step here and he'd never make it back alive to Konoha. His opponent was fast too, he'd give the ninja that much. But fighting with a senbon put the other ninja at a disadvantage.

"Your speed is impressive for a Genin. You must train hard."

Was this guy really trying to have a conversation here? "You're stalling."

"Ah, perhaps I am." The Mist-nin answered as they began to circle each other. "I don't truly want to have to kill you. But you won't stand down, will you?"

Sasuke's gaze shifted, keeping an eye out for objects that might get in the way. The dope's clones were oddly quite. That could mean one of two things, either Naruto was up to something big, or he'd gotten distracted by some woodland creature. Either way, it let Sasuke fight the ninja without distractions. "Don't be a fool."

"I see," the masked ninja nodded his head slightly in agreement as he disappeared briefly. Tracking the subtle movement of the air, Sasuke easily managed to block the senbon aimed at his throat with a flick of his kunai. He nearly scoffed at the lack of effort. The dope was harder to track. "Hai, your speed is impressive for a Genin. Unfortunately, my speed is better."

This time Sasuke did allow his emotions to escape, snorting in amusement at the statement. "It seems to me we're evenly matched. No, not quiet," Sasuke replied before disappearing, attacking Haku's exposed back with a roundhouse kick. The masked ninja barely managed to block the strike, his arms crossed hastily as he was forced to take the blunt of the blow. 'Typical,' Sasuke thought, easily anticipating that block. If this was all that this Haku character had to offer, then he doubted this would be a very good match.

Shifting his weight, Sasuke transferred his momentum to his left leg, immediately following his roundhouse kick with a low sweep in the opposite direction. His swift movements knocking the other boy off his feet as he twisted his body into a punch. True to his apparent skill, the masked boy quickly shifted into a backflip at the loss of his footing, just barely escaping the ground cracking punch Sasuke had thrown his way. Sasuke righted himself as he gazed at the retreating ninja. "Not bad for a _Genin_," he taunted as he shook out his hand. That punch had hurt more than he was willing to admit. How Sakura managed it time after time was really beyond him.

Soft laughter filled the air as Haku stared right back at him, taking out several senbon in the process. Rushing back in to attack, Sasuke nearly missed his block, only managing to deflect the incoming senbon out of pure muscle memory. 'Kuso, that was too fast!' he thought as he jumped out of the way of another wave of senbon. He would have to stop playing around if he wanted to win. "This fight will end shortly as it would seem I've gained two additional advantages."

'Two advantages? What the hell is he talking about?' Sasuke thought as he rushed forward, the swift movement of his kunai forcing Haku backwards. In a blink of an eye Haku was upon him again. Senbon clashed against kunai in a struggle for dominance.

"The water surrounding us. Your one occupied arm. These are all advantages in my favor," Haku clarified, his masked face leaning in closer to Sasuke's own.

"We may be surrounded by water, but you'll never get a chance to use that advantage," Sasuke smirked into the embrace, pushing hard against the other ninja. "Or did you forget that your arm is also unavailable?"

Undeterred, Haku shook his head. "No. I'm afraid I do not suffer from your same weakness," he replied, his one free hand coming up as he shifted through half seals. "Your only option now is to run from me. If you can…"

'Kuso!' He wasn't sure how it was possible, but he also didn't have time to dwell on it. Hastily, Sasuke channeled chakra to his legs.

"_Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishou." _Thousands of water needles rain down on Sasuke as he weaved through the chaos, barely dodging the deadly spikes surrounding him. Pushing as much chakra as he could afford to his arms, Sasuke blocked Haku's axe kick, quickly shifting his grip to capture the downward kick as it headed for his head. Both hands griping the leg tightly, Sasuke just barely managed to pull his arm up to guard against the following side kick, its momentum pushing him backwards across the bridge. In a blink Haku was gone from in front of him, a heavy presence to his rear the only indicator of where he might be.

'Kuso!' Sasuke cursed, his body too slow to dodge the blow at his back. The ensuing side kick sent him flying across the bridge, barely able to control his movements as he struggled to regain his equilibrium.

"You're not the only one who knows how to increase his speed by adding chakra to his legs, Uchiha-san. _Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishou._"

The curse that escaped his lips was lost in his ensuing movements as he struggled to dodge another barrage of water needles. The constant flow of chakra to his limbs gave him the added edge he needed to match Haku blow for blow. A laugh bubbled from his throat as he pushed his body to its limits. He was going to get to go all out on this one. Test the true extent of his power. A large smile spread across his face as he moved, attacking with a furry he'd never been able to release. The dope didn't know what he was missing.

"Why are you laughing? You're losing," the masked ninja questioned, confusion clearly lacing his voice.

Sasuke's laughter only grew as he adjusted the chakra flowing through his legs with even more precision. Targeting specific muscle groups and maximizing the chakra's effect. "This is going to be fun," he grinned.

The next round of water needles seemed to slow to a crawl, allowing Sasuke to dodge them with ease. Just as fast, he was behind the masked ninja, knocking him back with a solid roundhouse kick to his back. This time, it was Haku sliding across the bridge struggling to regain control of his movements. "Now it looks like _I_ have the advantage in speed," he taunted as he watch Haku slowly regain his feet.

Unwilling to wait, the excitement pulsing through his veins, Sasuke appeared in front of his opponent sending two quick jabs to the stomach. The blows pushed him back, doubling the enemy ninja over in the process. "How?" Haku whispered as he struggled to right himself. The question was spoken so softly that had Sasuke not been so close, he wouldn't have heard him at all.

"You think _Naruto_ is something special? Well that dope doesn't even _compare_ to Sakura and me. As top kunoichi and rookie of the year of our class, the dead last comes up short in our team skill wise. You don't stand a chance against someone like _me_."

Haku stood up straight, a confidence in his stance that shouldn't have been there. "It seems I've underestimated you." He nodded in Sasuke's direction before continuing. "But I refuse to fail Zabuza-sama here."

Sasuke startled at the feel of chakra in the air. He could see the waves of his opponent's chakra as it became tangible within the air. The air surrounding him dropped several degrees sending a chill straight through to his bones. He should have expected something like this, but what was that chill?

Unfortunately, his answer came all too soon as ice mirrors suddenly surrounded him. He was trapped.

"_Hijutsu: Makyou Hyoushou_. Now the real fight begins," Haku spoke calmly as his disappeared within the ice, melting into the very surface.

And suddenly the battle had changed as Sasuke took needle after needle only managing to move out of the way of the truly deadly senbon strikes. He was lucky his opponent only used the thin weapon as a barrage of kunai would have killed him by now.

Sasuke cursed his luck. If it hadn't been for _this_ special ice jutsu, he wouldn't be in this position. He'd had the upper hand just minutes ago. All that training had really showed the difference in speed between the two. Now…well now, he could barely keep up with Haku's movements. Only really able to maneuver quickly enough to avoid a senbon finding its next home in his jugular.

Another series of senbon flew at him forcing Sasuke from his current position. Spinning out of the way, Sasuke sent a chakra infused kick to the closest ice mirror. But nothing budged. 'Fuck, these damn ice mirrors won't give!' If he could just get out of this death trap or at least get Haku out of these damn mirrors, then he'd be able to defeat his opponent. Of that he was sure.

Another puff of smoke next to him signaled the end of another clone that had tried to get near him. Why the dope kept sending clones in _here_ was beyond him. As it was the dope's clones weren't doing much good outside of the mirrors either. But at least _those_ clones stayed for more than a faction of a second. Long enough, in fact, for them to try several different attack patterns on the outside of the mirrored dome. Unfortunately, not a single one of their tactics had worked. They hadn't even been able to get close enough to the dome to place a seal on it. Now _that_ would have helped Sasuke break out of this mess.

Sasuke could respect Haku on that account. Clearly he'd come prepared to fight his blond teammate as he was taking every precaution to make sure the dope couldn't get any of his seals near his ice mirrors.

So, the dope, or at least his damn clones, were essentially useless. Worse, Sakura would be of little help against this type of technique. Sasuke jumped back as a wave of senbon lodged itself in the place he'd once stood. When would Naruto get here? He could really use the dope right about now.

Another wave of the sharp needles came to his right, then without pause to his left giving Sasuke only enough time to block the senbon aimed at his kill zones. "_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu._" The fire technique didn't even scratch the surface of the ice mirror nearest him, but Sasuke couldn't back down now. He had to try. He had to give it everything he had. So, without hesitation he swiftly followed his attack with a chakra infused punch. 'Not even a scratch.'

"I'm sorry, but I've got to take you down before your blond teammate arrives."

Sasuke snorted in reply. The bastard wasn't even taking him seriously now. 'Kuso! There had to be a way out of this jutsu!'

Concentrating hard on his opponent's movements, Sasuke refused to concede defeat. If he could just get him out of those goddamned mirrors, he'd be able to win this. The next barrages of senbon caught Sasuke's attention as it approached him at a significantly slower pace. 'Are you tiring, Haku-san?' Sasuke internally questioned as he easily moved out of the way, easily tracing Haku's movements as he moved between mirrors. 'There!'

Capitalizing on the opportunity in front him, Sasuke raced forward, pulling an arm back as he approached the masked boy jumping between mirrors. The haymaker caught Haku in mid-air, colliding solidly with his masked face as it knocked him backwards, finally forcing him out of his mirrors. 'Got him!' he thought as he dropped to one knee, his chest heaving as he struggled to catch his breath. The only problem with his success was that the mirrors were still intact and continuing to keep him trapped inside. He'd just have to hit him harder next time.

In a flash, a Naruto appeared kneeling next to him. "You alright temee?" Sasuke could feel the dope place a seal on his back. 'What was he up to?'

"You idiot! Attack from the outside!"

"Hehehee. I can't get out now." The dope smiled like the fool he was. Late and stupid. His teammate really was an idiot.

"Stop playing with him Haku," Zabuza called from somewhere outside of the mirrored dome. But Sasuke was unworried. With the dope by his side, this was going to get a whole lot easier.

"I'm sorry Zabuza-sama," Haku apologized as he climbed back into the mirrors. "Uchiha-san, it seems I've underestimated you again. Activating your doujutsu during a fight. You truly are impressive, but now, this means that I must finish you before you teammate arrives. I have no delusions that I can take on the two of you as you are now. I'm sorry."

'What was he on about? Naruto was right…' Sasuke turned to his left to find nothing but smoke. 'Damn you, Naruto…'

Another wave of needles came at him as Sasuke remained on his knee. He wasn't going to let it end here. Using the remainder of his chakra, Sasuke moved to dodge the senbon. But he was too slow. 'Damn you, dope,' he thought as he watched the incoming senbon close in on him. This time one was heading right for his carotid artery and unfortunately, he already knew he wouldn't be able to dodge it.

Seconds away from impeding death, Sasuke felt a pull at his navel. A tight uncomfortable feeling that lasted only seconds before he found himself outside of the mirrors. "Sorry, temee. Didn't mean to be so late."

"Naruto…" Sasuke's vision tunneled, fading as he his eyes fell upon the real Naruto. "I should kill you…" he finished before falling unconscious.

* * *

"Hey, hey, temee. You okay?" Naruto asked, attempting to shake his teammate awake. He hoped he wasn't too late.

Sakura, quick on her feet, approached them both, dropping to her knees as she examined him. "He's alive. Just unconscious, I'm guessing chakra exhaustion," she announced without looking up. Naruto figured she was thinking up ways to move him to safety. She was good like that, always thinking of ways to protect them.

A relieved sigh escaped Naruto's lips as he wiped a hand across his brow. "Thank goodness," he stated before turning back to his opponent.

"It should be impossible to substitute out of my jutsu," the masked ninja stated as he steps out of his jutsu, the ice of the mirrors melting as he crossed the bridge. "How?"

Naruto didn't even give it a second thought, pointing at the seal placed on the back of Sasuke's shirt, "It's my latest seal. Long-range substitutions, well _almost_ long-range. More like medium-range right now, but it still got the job done, _right_," he explained with a grin. "Pretty cool if I don't say so myself?" Naruto added, a confident swagger lacing his voice. What could he say? He was just too cool.

"Baka!" Sakura yelled, slapping the backside of his head in the process. "Stop showing off to the _enemy_," she hissed as Naruto rubbed a hand against the newly formed bump. Sakura sure was violent.

"Geez, give me a second Sakura. I know what I'm doing," he complained, before turning back to their opponent. "Haku right?" he questioned. He just wanted to be sure. After all, it would be really embarrassing if he got the other boy's name wrong. Relieved at the short nod in his direction, Naruto continued. "You going to try to put me in your mirrors too?"

"That would seem like a waste of chakra, no?" Haku replied, his logical approach strangely reminding him of one of his old classmates back at the Academy. 'What was his name again?' Shrugging off the thought, Naruto refocused his attention.

"Yeah, cool. You know, you seem like an alright guy…"

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed, interrupting him in the process. "_Really_?!"

"Well, all of his attacks have been non-life threatening," Naruto defended. "I'm just stating the facts."

"Oh, so you've been watching all along," Haku stated, interrupting any loud rant that Sakura might fall into in response to Naruto's obvious cheek.

Shifting back to their enemy, Naruto lifted a finger to his head. "Shadow clones pick up a _lot_ of detail, even when they're dying," he explained easily. While at first the sensation of multiple memories flooding his consciousness had been fairly unsettling, now it was just something that he'd grown used to. "The _point_ is that not a one of those attacks would have killed me," he justified, dropping the playfulness to his voice. "Stand down, Haku. Gatou isn't a guy someone like you should work with. You're above his kind of brutality."

Haku stepped toward them, the seriousness of the situation filling his stance. "I now see how you were able to follow me unnoticed. You see what others wouldn't. What they cannot." He paused, glancing over towards Zabuza as he fought with Kakashi-sensei, hesitation clear in his movements. "Becoming a true shinobi is difficult for me. If possible I don't want to have to kill you, any of you. Nor do I want you to have to kill me, but if you come at me." Haku stopped, the warmth disappearing from his voice as his posture shifted. He was more than ready for a fight. "I will destroy my kind heart with a blade of blood and become a _true_ shinobi."

Naruto nodded in understanding his body also shifting. "I didn't think you would stand down," he confessed, a kunai slipping into his hand.

"This bridge is the place where we fight to realize our dreams. Me for my dream, and you for your dreams. Please understand, I want to protect someone precious to me. To work for that person. To fight for that person. To make that person's dreams come true. That is my dream. For _that_ I will become a shinobi, and I will kill you."

The impact was almost immediate leaving Naruto with only precious seconds to fend off Haku's attack. Rolling to the side, Naruto's eyes quickly searched the bridge briefly noting his Sensei clashing against Zabuza in his own altercation. Turning back to his opponent, Naruto moved with a flash. 'Looks like I'm about to find out just how much my taijutsu has improved,' he thought before rushing back in to the fray.

On the opposite side of the bridge, Kakashi glanced over at his students as he jumped back to put some more space between Zabuza and himself. He had desperately wanted to help Sasuke-kun when he'd been trapped within the ice mirrors, however, Zabuza he kindly reminded him that his fight was here, attacking him fiercely in the process. He'd spent the following several minutes half holding his breath as he worried about his students. Unable to fully concentrate on the here and now.

That lapse of concentration had cost him, but the resulting scars wouldn't be any more difficult to live with than the ones already littering his body. At least now Naruto-kun was here and his team was complete. Alone, his team was good, but together they were something else. He knew that the three of them together could accomplish great feats. He wouldn't need to worry about their safety, and he could finally focus on _this_ fight.

Even so, he didn't want them to have to understand what it meant to be a ninja just yet. So, he'd need to end his fight before his students' fight got that far. Without further hesitation, Kakashi's hand moved to his covered eye. His best bet to finish this quickly would be his Sharingan.

"Is that all you can do Kakashi? _Sharingan_?" Zabuza taunted from across the bridge.

Ignoring the comment, Kakashi continued to uncover his eye. His hand stopped mid-motion as Zabuza rushed him, his massive sword swiftly coming down on him. He could dodge, even with this little warning, but… Sharp pain engulfed him, momentarily blinding him before he could block it from his mind. The kunai he'd brought up to block the blow had kept him from losing his arm, but the cut was still deep. He'd have a new scar to his ever piling collection.

Oh well, it was a small price to pay. He was hoping that the move would come in handy at least if things went wrong and he had to resort to _that_ jutsu. "And yet, I can see your fear of it, Zabuza," Kakashi stated coolly, ignoring the blood seeping from the wound on his shoulder.

"Hehehee!" Zabuza laughed, the crazed edge of his voice would have sent a shiver down the spine of a lesser man. "_Fear_?! You should know better than to show your best technique twice."

"You should feel honored," Kakashi shot back as they broke apart, putting some much needed space between them. "After all, you're the only person to see it more than once. Unfortunately, there _won't_ be a third time," Kakashi replied darkly. Without his companion, Zabuza wouldn't have been alive right now. There was no way he'd let Zabuza leave this bridge with his life, not again. Not for a second time. He was just too dangerous for that.

"Heh, even if you somehow manage to defeat me, you'll never win against Haku," Zabuza stated offhandedly as he rushed forward, sword swinging. "Ever since he was a child, I have taught him. He knows everything I know. Every fighting style, every skill, and strategy that I've ever thought of. He knows techniques that even _seasoned_ shinobi don't know," the man boasted as he was pushed back by a well place kunai strike. "He's _mastered_ both of his elemental chakra natures, more than excelling at the art of silent killing. Even when he's faced with those much stronger than him, he's succeeded," he continued as he raced back in, clashing hard against Kakashi. "I've trained the heart and fear of death out of him. Creating the ultimate fighting machine, the ultimate tool. A shinobi whose jutsu even surpasses my own."

"But he is even _more_ than that. Haku is a welder of a terrifying kekkei genkai. You've seen it, and your students will die by it." Zabuza's laughter filled the air. "I've created a high quality tool for myself. And what do _you_ have?! _Children_! You've wasted your time. You could have easily of had one as well in that Uzumaki gaki," he continued, his laughter turning harsh. "But of course, you'd have to shape him into a _killer_, and your peace loving village couldn't have that. You can't produce the sharp tools needed for the life of a_ true_ shinobi. What a waste."

"There's nothing as boring as a man's bragging," Kakashi stated, interrupting the maniacal laughter. "Let's get this started," he finished, swiftly revealing his Sharingan as he moved to attack.

"You think your Sharingan will work on me. Hehehee. The same jutsu won't work twice on me. _Kirigakure no Jutsu,_" Zabuza challenged, blocking Kakashi's kunai as the mist thickened.

Naruto and that masked ninja, Haku, came together in a clash, limbs moving at speeds that Sakura knew firsthand that Baka wouldn't have been able to meet a week ago. Watching him now, she could see the improvement. Maybe she and Sasuke-kun would have to step up their own training because Naruto was getting scary good. They couldn't have that idiot surpassing them now could they?

"Your taijutsu has improved significantly, Uzumaki-san," Haku stated as he rushed Naruto, senbon pressed tightly against the kunai gripped tightly in Naruto's hand.

"Thanks." Sakura rolled her eyes at the show of gratitude. Only Naruto would engage in pleasant conversation with someone trying to _kill_ him. "Sakura here beat in all of my improvements," he added, his head tilted in her direction. **'Damn straight we beat it in. Can't get anything through that thick skull without a little **_**pain**_**!'** Her inner voice yelled as Sakura fiddled with a kunai. She really hated just sitting back and watching, but she couldn't risk getting in the way. Knowing Naruto, he probably had some elaborate plan. Unfortunately, they weren't at the point in their teamwork where she or Sasuke could just anticipate the idiot's next move. Not the over the top ones anyway.

"Is that so," the masked Haku replied, pushing hard against Naruto sending him stumbling backwards. "I'm sorry, but it won't be good enough," he finished pushing his advantage. Senbon in hand, Haku attack Naruto with a new vigor moving at speeds that she knew her blond teammate couldn't match. "_Hijutsu: Sensatsu Suishou_." Thousands of water needles rained down on her teammate, piercing his body as he failed to dodge the attack.

Sakura held her breath. Waiting patiently for the familiar puff of smoke that always accompanied a violent display like this one. Naruto remained. Motionless on the ground, Sakura stopped herself from rushing to his side. 'Get up Naruto.' **'Get up you **_**idiot**_**! Get UP! Or so help me, we'll show you what **_**real**_** pain feels like.'** Her inner voice raged, mirroring her own concerns. She needed to have faith in him. She needed to believe in him like she believed in Sasuke-kun and Kakashi-sensei, like he believed in her.

She released the breath she was holding in a violent exhale as Naruto stirred, struggling back to his feet.

"Give up, Uzumaki-san. You cannot win this fight."

"We fight for our dreams, don't we?" Naruto replied, pulling a kunai from his pant pocket. "Well _my_ dream requires that I win. So, I _won't_ be beaten here! Believe it! _Kage Bunshin no Jutsu_," he finished, summoning five clones to his side. "You know what to do," he nodded at his clones, scattering them around the bridge. Sakura watched them immediately get to work, ink and other supplies pulled out as they moved to create a seal, a blank scroll rolled out between them.

Haku's response was almost instantaneous. Senbon out and heading barrowing straight towards the clones in his attempt to destroy them. Naruto quick on his feet and more protective of his clones then Sakura had ever seen him deflected the senbon in a move she was sure he'd picked up from Sasuke-kun. "Your fight is with me," her idiot of a teammate announced as he stepped forward, blocking Haku's path to his clones, a giant grin plastered to his face.

"No matter what type of seal you try to use you cannot win," the masked ninja stated, pulling another set of senbon out in the process. "Nothing less than death will stop me from accomplishing _my_ dreams. Are you really prepared to kill me, Uzumaki-san?"

"I know what I've got to do. Being a ninja isn't about fun and games," Naruto stated before rushing his opponent again.

Sakura ignored the clash of movement at the shift in the air behind her. 'Tazuna-san,' she thought as she turned, infusing her kunai with chakra to block the incoming blow. It didn't matter if this wasn't the real bridge builder because Zabuza didn't know that. She was determined to keep it that way.

Pushing as much chakra into her muscles as she could, Sakura strained against the force of the attack. Like before, Sakura knew she'd be unable to defend against a second swing of his massive sword, but she didn't let that knowledge get to her. She refused to give up. **'Bring it, asshole!'** Her inner voice shouted as she shifted in her spot. She was a kunoichi of Konoha. She would do her duty to the very end.

Kakashi-sensei appeared in front of her at the last minute, deflecting the blow allowing Sakura to duck down and out of the way. "Constantly protecting those gaki I see," Zabuza sneered as he pressed down hard. "It'll be the death of you." His crazed laugh filled the air as Sensei buckled under the force of the attack.

"Sensei!" Sakura yelled, the sight of her Sensei nearly on his knees frightening her more than seeing Sasuke-kun's unconscious body lying limp on the ground. **'What the HELL Sensei!? You're stronger than this!'** Her inner voice raged. Frantic eyes took in the scene. What was wrong? Sharp eyes found the trail of blood leaking from his shoulder. Sakura cringed. That looked deep. They were going to need to end this soon.

Across the bridge Naruto's attention snapped away from his opponent at the sound of Sakura's desperate cry. 'Sakura?' he thought with a question, but the mist had already moved in, thickening to a point where he could see nothing of her interactions.

Naruto immediately regretted his inattention as senbon after senbon lodged itself into his body. Knocked to the ground, Naruto felt like a human pin cushion as he struggled back to his feet. "As you've said Uzumaki-san, I'm your opponent," Haku stated as Naruto pulled himself back to his feet.

His standing position didn't last long as Naruto felt his muscles give out, returning him back to the hard surface of the bridge. He dropped first to his knee, refusing to let his body dictate the course of this fight however it was a useless endeavor. The pull of gravity won out as he fell face first. 'Just a little longer,' Naruto pleaded with himself as he pushed his hands against the hard surface, willing ever muscle in his body to just work a little long.

"_Hijutsu: Hissatsu Hyousou_."

Naruto's voice rang out across the bridge as he screamed in pain, the shards of ice pinned him back down. Haku stared at the fallen figure before turning his back. 'No. Not like this!' Naruto screamed in his head. "Where do you think you're going, _temee?_!"

"You're finished, Uzumaki-san. Give up, it's over," Haku replied over his shoulder not bothering to turn back towards him.

Despite the pain screaming in extreme protest, Naruto forced his body to obey him. Pushing up from the ground, he struggled back to his feet. He would not give up here. He refused. "Ahh!" Naruto screamed, but continued to rip both senbon and ice shards alike from his body, the bloody shards falling to the ground with a hollow clank. "This isn't over!" he yelled as the last shard fell to the ground.

"Why? How?" Haku questioned as he turned back to the blond shinobi, confusion lacing his voice.

"The Princess of Konoha is waiting for me. I will _not_ lose _**here**_!" Naruto felt a surge of chakra run through him, renewing his energy and masking the pain in his body. Focusing the chakra to his limbs, he moved with a burst of speed delivering a powerful punch to Haku's masked face. Knocking the other boy backwards as his mask shattered to pieces in the process.

Haku's body rolled backward, uncontrolled as it skid to a stop some meters away. Naruto watched as the crumbled figure slowly picked himself up, stumbling forward as he collapsed to his knees, his head bowed in defeat. Suddenly memories from one of his clones flooded his mind. The seal was ready. Now, he just had to get Haku into position.

Rushing forward, Naruto appeared behind the fallen ninja, sending him straight toward the center of his clones with a violent kick to the back. A burst of chakra to his legs propelled him across the bridge, leaving him standing in front of the hunter-nin. Grabbing for the other boy's shoulders, Naruto halted Haku's forward momentum bringing him to the center of the seal in the process.

Grip tightening Naruto readied himself to begin the sealing process. "This ends…" Haku finally looked up causing Naruto to pause mid-sentence at the familiar face. "You're the boy from before…"

"Why did you stop? Is your seal not ready?" Haku questioned resolutely, interrupting Naruto's inquiry.

"I… why?" Naruto whispered, his grip loosened allowing the other ninja to escape from his hold.

Standing nose to nose, Haku spoke calmly. "There are those who make this mistake, not killing their enemy because of pity. Letting them leave with just their lives. Can you understand, not having a dream? Not being needed by anyone? The pain of simply living?"

The question pulled Naruto away. Forcing him back to a time and place where life had been dark, hopeless in its endless misery. Forcing him back to the orphanage, before Hyuuga-hime. It had been a hopeless existence, filled with a loneliness that he hadn't believed he could ever escape.

How often had he cried himself to sleep? Curled into himself as he tried to rock himself to sleep. Or those times where the emptiness had been too much, he hadn't even been able to cry. In a rush, those memories assaulted him, their images reflected back at him from the darkness of Haku's eyes. His loneliness mirrored back at him.

"Hai, I thought you would be able to understand," Haku replied, his stare burrowing into Naruto's very soul.

"What are you trying to say?"

The crackling of birds sounded not far away causing both boys to break eye contract as they glanced in that direction. 'Shoot!' Naruto thought. That couldn't be good.

Slowly the thick mist receded and for a split second they both saw the bound Zabuza and the blue lighting surrounding Kakashi-sensei's arm.

A fraction of a second. Would make the difference in Haku retreating to Zabuza and Naruto's successful sealing. That was all he would have. Shifting back to face his opponent, Naruto grabbed at the boy in front of him, holding on to him tightly faster than Haku could retreat. There was no more time, he had to act fast, act now. He wasn't likely to be able to hold on to Haku for long. Without hesitation, Naruto activated the first seal, "Kai!"

Unlike before, Haku refused to calmly wait as the seal below them glowed red, the red sealing ink covering them both. With all the strength he still possessed, Haku fought, struggling tooth and nail as he gained enough space to perform his one-handed techniques.

Soundlessly, Naruto ignored the sharp ice spikes that pierced his body. He refused to let go. He could not allow Haku to escape, his team was counting on him. In quick succession, Naruto's clones activated the successive seals one by one. Still, Haku fought harder. Naruto blocked a hard knee to the stomach as he held on to Haku's struggling form. His clones were almost finished. 'Just a little longer.'

The crackling reached a crescendo as they continued to struggle, Haku to get away and Naruto to keep him in place at the center of his seal. "No!" Haku screamed as he summoned enough strength to break Naruto's hold. An ice mirror appearing behind him.

"Too late!" Naruto shouted as he activated the last seal with half of Haku's body already within the mirror. The mirror shattered just as Naruto felt the now familiar tug at his navel. A faction of a second later found him skidding awkwardly across the bridge as he landed on his backside watching Haku disappear in a puff of smoke. Slumping down further, Naruto accepted the scroll from one of his two remaining clones. He held it carefully, Haku was sealed away in this scroll. He would be of no threat to them now.

All was eerily silent. The crackling sound having ended at the same time Haku had been sealed. Naruto had a feeling Zabuza hadn't made it.

Pushing his body into a sitting position, Naruto watched as the mist cleared around them. Sakura approached him, walking with one of his clones still under a henge a snoring Sasuke slung over his back. Turning his head as he scanned the rest of the bridge, Naruto found his Sensei standing still over a fallen figure. 'I'm sorry, Haku. I couldn't save your precious person.'

With a sigh, Naruto struggled to his feet, managing to just make it up before losing balance and tumbling back to the ground. His clones caught him before he could fully collapse, each grabbing an arm as they pulled him back to his feet.

"There you go boss."

"Easy now. We got you."

Tightening his grip on each clone, they made their way across the bridge, one shaky step at a time as they approached the fallen Zabuza. "Is he…"

"Hai, Naruto." Naruto began to turn his head only to be stopped by his Sensei's words. "No, don't look away. This is something that all ninja must do."

"Kill." It wasn't a question. Naruto looked down at the fallen figure. Taking in every detail. Haku deserved that much from him. And this was the end of a man who lived a difficult life. A life that had impacted Haku greatly. 'He fought for you. He tried to die for you.' Naruto just wasn't sure Zabuza had been worth Haku's devotion. "Did… Did he say anything? About Haku?"

"Hai, he told me to tell Haku to live, and thank you." Naruto nodded, relieved that this man had been worth Haku's devotion in the end. That Haku hadn't been just a tool to him. He was glad Zabuza had cared for Haku at least a little bit.

"Oh, it looks like they died. Good thing I haven't paid them yet. It's so hard to find good help these days," a smug voice rang out across the bridge.

"Gatou," Naruto growled as he turned to face the stout figure. Roughly, he pushed his clones away, standing steady on his own two feet.

"Hehehee. At least they seemed to have worn you ninja down. Good thing that's all I'd counted on," the little man bragged, his hands resting on his round suit covered belly.

"You had a deal with Zabuza! And you were going to betray them from the start!" Naruto accused, his blood slowly coming to a boil as he thought about the sacrifices that had been made that day.

"Hehehehee. Life's funny like that. Good business practices I like to say. Hiring a normal ninja from the villages is just so damn _expensive_ these days. And you never know if they'll betray you." Gatou shook his head an evil smirk across his face. "It's just easier and more cost effective to get missing-nin who are easy to take care of afterwards. I have the ninja battle each other, and then kill them all with sheer numbers," he continued, pointing a finger to the large number of thugs behind him. "Best part is it doesn't cost me _anything_."

"They'd planned to _die_ for their dreams! And _you_…" Hate burned through Naruto's veins as his blood boiled hot. It was a heat he'd never felt before, burning his vision red as he lost himself to his anger. "**I'll KILL **_**YOU**_**!**" he bellowed, lunging forward only to be stopped by Kakashi-sensei's strong grip.

"Naruto-kun, calm down. Think about your princess," he ordered calmly. "What would she say if she could see you now?" he continued, his miss matched eyes staring straight into Naruto's violent ones.

Unbridled, an image of the cold, calm, strong figure of Hyuuga-hime came to him, replacing the red burn of his anger. Naruto took a deep breath, his rage seeping from him as he held onto her image. No, she wouldn't approve of ripping Gatou limb from limb. That would be a senseless act of violence.

Unaware of the danger he'd just averted, Gatou continued. "So, I believe I still need to kill Tazuna. I'm only disappointed that the gaki isn't here. I'd have loved to string him up too," Gatou finished, holding his wounded arm useless in its cast to indicate the source of his anger.

Kakashi-sensei loosened his grip on Naruto's arm as he turned to face the stout man. "Our mission has not changed." Kakashi-sensei's eyes returned to Naruto's blue ones. "Naruto?"

"I know," Naruto replied as he summoned a single clone only for the clone to dispel a fraction of a second later. He knew what Sensei wanted. He'd planned for something like this anyway.

"Hehehee. Zabuza and his pet did more than enough for my army to finish you all off. You can't even add one more to your numbers. Hehehee. This is going to be too easy. Kill them."

The group of hired thugs ran at them, their voices screaming as they rushed the bridge. However, they didn't get far before Naruto's clones appeared. There were nearly twenty-five of them, their numbers easily evening their odds against the thugs on the bridge.

"Hey, boss. We found some folks on the way."

The villagers of Wave stood with bow and arrows, and all kinds of make shift weapons. The real Tazuna-san among them at the front of the crowd with little Inari-kun by his side.

"Get out of here if you want to live!" Inari-kun yelled, the villagers echoing his tiny voice.

"Nani? How?" One of the thugs said as he looked between the Tazuna in the crowd and the one on the bridge. At that point, his clone dropped his henge. Together his clones surrounded the thugs, herding them like cattle to the center of the bridge.

Naruto watched his clones move in closer, spreading out as they kneeled at the edge of a large summoning circle around the bridge. He smiled at the clueless thugs in the middle, unaware that their fate had been sealed.

"**You think you're going to get out of here **_**alive**_**?"** the clones taunted as one, matching grins lining their faces. **"Kai!"** Together they activate the seal, causing nearly all of the clones to pop out of existence as their chakra was expended. When the smoke cleared only three remained, standing interspaced around the bridge as the center glowed red, the seal writing circling the thugs in the process.

The thugs' screams littered the air. Gasps for help, exclamations of holy shit, and questions of what's going on dying in the air as they disappeared. In their place the Uzumaki clan seal appeared, glowing red in the center of the bridge.

"What the hell was that dope?" Naruto turned around to see Sasuke sitting up next to Sakura.

"This bridge just became the biggest Uzumaki seal I've ever created!" Naruto replied with a big grin on his face.

"Yeah, but where did they _go_?" Tazuna-san questioned as he approached Team Seven.

"In the bridge." Naruto rubbed his head shyly. "Ah, sorry, but I'm not sure how to get them out again. At least, not without destroying the bridge. But hey, I've made this bridge look super awesome now!"

"Baka." Sakura shook her head at her blond teammate.

"Hey, what about Gatou?"

"Let me go! Unhand me at once!" the stout little man shouted as two villagers brought him down to the bridge.

"We caught this one trying to make a run for it."

"What are we going to do with him Sensei?" Sakura asked as she turned to face the one eyed man, his Sharingan safely put away.

"We'll send him back to Konoha." Turning to Naruto he continued. "We'll get to see just how long someone can stay alive in that new seal of yours, Naruto-kun."

Naruto smiled widely. "Hey, at least catching Tora will be easier now."

"Dope."

"Baka."

* * *

おまけ（Omake）

Clone number thirteen looked around the house for the first time. He'd not been one of the clones stationed here, and had only memories to go off of. In his opinion, memories just weren't the same. So, given the opportunity to look around Clone #13 took in the nice furniture and the spacious room. The walls weren't colored orange, but he couldn't really hold that against the nice owners. Overall, it seemed like a pretty nice place.

With the room observed and his curiosity sated, Clone #13 turned to the _real_ issue at hand. He was still here. Looking down at himself, he marveled that he'd not been dispelled by the sealing technique. The long distance seal wasn't anywhere near where any of the clones wanted it, even if the boss man thought it was finished. It didn't go nearly far enough and used far too much chakra to be _really_ useful. But why would the boss man care? He could summon as many clones as he wanted. It wasn't like _he_ was dispelled ninety-four percent of the time they used the damn thing. Nor did the boss man have to entertain himself in the middle of nowhere, just on the off chance the chief wanted to perform a substitution.

So yeah, the seal had plenty of flaws that when all added together meant no clone really survived this technique. Yet, here he was, alive. Or as alive as any clone could be, although he wasn't going to get into that issue now. Enough of them had that exact existential discussion nearly twice a week. He really had better things to do than to dwell on the issue when he was by himself.

But that was neither here nor there. He was still alive when no one had planned for it. He had _nowhere_ to be and _nothing_ assigned for him to do. He was a free clone! So yeah, he wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth about this one.

Stretching, Clone #13 climbed into the boss man's futon. He was going to take a nap with all this free time, maybe make some ramen later. No one was going to need his help today. It wasn't like the fight would make it all the way out to Tazuna's house anyway. Besides, even if it did there was like five other clones already in the area.

Clone #13 turned in the boss man's futon. Not to mention he didn't get on that well with clones #19, #20, and #21 either. And how could he? They were stuck up bastards, the lot of them. All, _we guard the house and have fun in the trees_. And, _you get pooped on the head by seagulls_. He'd heard from some of the towns people that was supposed to be lucky, but he could do without that kind of luck…

So yeah, he didn't see why he needed to go patrol with those bastards. Especially when he could be taking a nap! Maybe chase butterflies after that bowl of ramen…

Soon he was out like a light… for about a minute, before a clone dispelled himself, and woke him up. But clone #13 was determined. He'd set out to take a nap, and dang it he was getting a nap in if it _killed_ him. A series of memories enter his mind, senbon to the neck, arms, and body as many of his fellow clones died. 'Damn it all!'

Clone #13 shuffled out of futon and out the window in one smooth motion. Why he'd even bothered…

So, plan A was out. No naps, and now he wasn't in the mood for ramen. Which should have been impossible, but really when you keep getting memories of dying there really isn't much room left for an appetite. That left several options really. He still didn't want to be bothered with Clones #19, #20, and #21, and was no longer in the mood for butterfly chasing either. So he'd make his way back to the… Clone #13 stopped abruptly on a strong tree as memories of a dead boar and trees cut up to pieces became his own.

'Well dang, I guess the fight really did come this way.' Turning around Clone #13 retraced his steps and made his way back to the house. From there it wasn't too hard to find the tracks leading to the attackers. Looking down at Inari-kun stepping up and really living the master pranking rules caused Clone #13 to sigh. Not only was he not going to get in a nap, but he was also going to have to do some really work. Oh well, the life of a clone was really much harder than anyone thought. Man, it sure is tough being a hero…

* * *

**KJ's Super Awesome Japanese Corner**

Or it would be if this chapter wasn't pretty much just fighting. Not sure there's any new cultural references to be discussed. Oh well. Maybe next time.


End file.
